Online Crime in Canada – are you a target?

In most Canadian crime rankings by city, you’d expect Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to be at the top of the list.  But when it comes to online crime, a recent study* shows otherwise.

Big cities tend to have diverse economic communities, and lower income areas spend less on computer hardware and internet connectivity.  Canada is one of the most web-connected nations on earth.  But not surprisingly, within our country there exists a direct, documented correlation between relative wealth and access to the web.

Symantec Canada’s recent national survey ranked residents of Burlington, Ontario as most likely to be victims of cyber-attacks, potential malware infections, and online identity fraud.  Two B.C. cities – Port Coquitlam and Langley – ranked 2^nd and 3^rd.

Five of the top 10 were in Ontario.  And northern Ontario does not escape the risk: Thunder Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie were all in the top 40 nationally.

The lesson?  The more online activity, the greater the risk.

A survey spokesperson commented, “residents in areas with more access to computers, the internet and WiFi hotspots will go online more often to shop, bank and communicate with family and friends, making them greater targets for cyber-criminals.”

Most online activities carry some risk, particularly online shopping and file sharing.  Imprudent sharing of personal data by way of social media is also a rapidly growing concern to authorities.

So manage the risk by using legitimate security software, keeping your operating system software updated with security “patches”, and be aware of the threat.

*from report by Norton Symantec/ Sperling’s BestPlaces

For further protection advice, check: www.everyclickmatters.com