Revealed: 10 countries from where most cyber attacks originate

Cyber security has become the new ‘in-word’ worldwide as organisations and individuals struggle to protect themselves against attacks online.

With information growing exponentially in value and volume, cyber risks pose a serious threat to governments, businesses, economies and individuals.

Constantly evolving cyber security practices have helped nations like the United States, Canada and Australia to be better prepared for cyber attacks, according to experts.

On the other hand, the US – along with China and Turkey – has also been found to be one of the biggest source countries for cyber attacks in the world, as per the Q1 2016 security report by Akamai technology.

Most of these attacks originate from unknown hackers working in groups or individually, the report found.

In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates is among the most targeted nations for cyber attackers and ranks 41 worldwide, according to a recent report by international software security group Kaspersky Lab.

The UAE’s financial and government sectors are the most targeted for cyber attacks, the report added.

Also read: UAE’s IT security spending is not enough – expert

The threat to the Middle East from cyber criminals and terrorists

What should the Middle East do to enforce cyber security?

Top 10 source countries for cyber attacks

1. China

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 27.24%

2. United States

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 17.12%

3. Turkey

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated:: 10.24%

4. Brazil

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 8.60%

5. South Korea

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 7.47%

6. India

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 6.67%

7. Spain

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 6.32%

8. Thailand

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 5.85%

9. Japan

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 5.55%

10. Russia

Percentage of cyber attacks initiated: 5.14%