Seattle has claimed the dubious distinction of America’s riskiest cybercrime city, placing near the top in categories such as cyberattacks and potential infections, online behavior that can expose people to cybercrime, (such as online shopping and banking online); and wireless Internet access.
Cybercrime currently affects one in five online shoppers, cost Americans $560 million in 2009 due to online fraud. The rankings were determined through a combination of Symantec Security Response’s data on cyberattacks and potential malware infections, as well as third-party data about online behavior, such as accessing WiFi hotspots and online shopping.
Fox News weighed in on the topic with a sensational slant: ” “Everyone describes statistics by city, when it’s muggings and murders,” noted Stewart Baker, former assistant secretary for policy for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “Why wouldn’t we do the same for cybercrime? Of course, they’re not really targeting cities, they’re targeting people,” he pointed out.
Cybercrime isn’t made up of anonymous, blanket attacks any more. That’s changed a lot in the past two years, pointing out the increase in “spear fishing,” where criminals target the high-profile (and wealthier) executives at organizations, “They’re going after high net-worth individuals because the pay off is so much better,” reports Fox.
The Top 10 Cities in order of digital danger or duress:
1. Seattle
2. Boston
3. Washington, D.C.
4. San Francisco
5. Raleigh, NC
6. Atlanta, GA
7. Minneapolis, MN
8. Denver, CO
9. Austin, TX
10. Porland, OR
Detroit came in as the least risky online city. Motor City’s residents were less likely to participate in risky online behavior compared to other cities in the study, [24×7]
Washington Wine Fans are Tasting And Tweeting
Washington wines were at the center of the Twitterverse last Thursday as thousands of tasters lifed a gass of Washington Merlot in a record-breaking virtual wine tasting event.
About 80 Northwest wineries, restaurants and wine critics participated in the online wine tasting event. Toasters at the Bookwalter Winery in Richland, Washington, watched a Twitter feed live stream scroll across a large flat screen.
During the social media event tasters were encouraged to open and rate any Washington merlot they wanted. The event was organized by Spokane based wine blogger Josh Wade. [24×7]
Get more info in the Seattle24x7 blog
