Published: September 17, 2021 on our newsletter Security Fraud News & Alerts Newsletter.
Last year was a wild ride for many reasons, least of all the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Hacking levels hit historic highs when scammers and hackers set their sights on new criminal opportunities created by the pandemic. Marketing company GetResponse took a closer look at hacking activity by individual state in their report State of Online Hacking in America. Their findings are based on the FBI’s “Internet Crime Report 2020,” which studied cybercrime in America during 2020.
As online activity increased, so did cybercrime, including a number of high-profile attacks on critical infrastructure in the U.S. The GetResponse report looks at individual states using two standards: total number of hacking victims by state per 100,000 residents, and total dollar losses due to hacking by state per 100,000 residents. So, pull-up a map of America and follow along with rankings of the worst in cybercrime; a contest no state wants to win.
Top Total Number of Hacking Victims by State
First Place: Nevada rates the worst with 523 hacking victims per 100,000 residents
Second Place: District of Columbia with 302 hacking victims per 100,000 residents
Third Place: Iowa with 297 hacking victim attacks per 100,000 residents
Fourth Place: Alaska with 283 hacking victims per 100,000 residents
Fifth Place: Florida with 250 hacking victims per 100,000 residents
Top Total Victim Dollar Losses by State
First Place: North Dakota rates the worst, with $3,386,200 lost per 100,000 residents
Second Place: District of Columbia with $2,684,059 lost per 100,000 residents
Third Place: New York with $2,137,464 lost per 100,000 residents
Fourth Place: Missouri with $1,888,635 lost per 100,000 residents
Fifth Place: Colorado with $1,748,021 lost per 100,000 residents
What Business Leaders Should Know
With online safety threatened more than ever, the FBI’s report finds businesses in particular need to combat the highest-ranking threat to their online security – email phishing. This is where the start of many business cyberattacks occur, including ransomware and others. Keeping phishing emails from infecting an organization can be greatly improved through employee education. As the frontline recipients of most business email phishing, a cyber-smart staffer can stop an attack from going any further than their inbox. Teaching staff how to spot phishing red flags can be an invaluable investment in the future success of any organization, regardless of size and type.
The FBI’s latest report provides a number of options for states and organizations to use their services in a joint effort to fight cybercrime. Victims can report cybercrimes to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at the IC3.gov website.
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