World’s Worst Hacking Countries

What mental picture comes to mind when you hear the word “hacker”? Is it some nerdy, socially inept genius that seems to populate just about every crime show on television today? Or perhaps you imagine the cocky, arrogant hacker-skateboarder-slacker combination. Maybe it’s the mysterious hacker who wears one of those clichéd Guy Fawkes mask and embraces anarchy. In light of recent news, it could even be an image of a bunch of North Korean military experts, hacking their way into American entertainment databases and sabotaging movies!

Three out of the four above examples could very easily be assumed to be Americans, but here’s the shock: America is not the worst hacking country out there. Not only that, but North Korea isn’t even on the list of the Top Ten; but Romania is.

Romania!?

Yes, Romania! The reputed home of Gypsies, Dracula, and failed Marxist social engineering is on the list of the worst hacking countries. Do you want to know how bad it is, or for that matter, where the United States comes in? Then read on, and be informed about the ten worst hacking countries today.

China

By far the worst country in terms of hackers’ origins, China is responsible for roughly forty percent of the hacking out there. A few years ago, China was the source of a mere thirteen percent of the world’s hacking. Someone’s been very busy.

Two stand-out things about Chinese hacking: first of all, there’s a sophisticated network of hackers in China, which may have connections with the military. Secondly, a lot of their hacking operations are ideologically and politically oriented. Despite their repeated denials of involvement, the Chinese government is suspected of sponsoring hacker attacks.

It sort of brings to mind images of privateers, who were basically pirates that were actually sponsored by a legitimate nation such as Great Britain or Spain, and set loose on the sea in order to raid the ships of nations that the sponsoring country was hostile to. It’s a whole new kind of high-seas piracy, isn’t it? Avast!

The United States

‘Murica! Hell yeah! We’re number … .two!? That’s right, the good old United States of America is responsible for only a mere 10 percent of the world’s hacking. You would think it would be more, but that perception may come from the fact that certain high-profile hacker groups like AntiSec and Anonymous call the US home. Hey, you make an impression, and people remember you and where you’re from.

This is one area where it’s probably good that the USA isn’t number one.

Turkey

Weighing in at number three is Turkey, the land of Istanbul not Constantinople. Turkey accounts for about four percent of the world’s hackers.

Russia

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, we’ve been hearing a lot more about Russian crime syndicates and the like. It should come as no surprise, then, that Russia is in the top five hacker havens. They account for roughly four percent, much like Turkey. Back in 2013, around 40 companies were subjected to malware attacks linked to a cyber-criminal group based either in Eastern Europe or Russia.

Taiwan

Roughly three and a half percent of hacker traffic comes from Taiwan, and on the flip side, it happens to be the favorite target of hackers. Back in 2013, a study showed that almost thirteen percent of all computers in Taiwan were attacked by malware.

Brazil

Back in 2013, Brazil accounted for just a little over three percent of hacker attacks. It improving; in 2012 that figure was over four percent.

Romania

In lucky seventh place is Romania, at around 2.8 percent, and trending upwards. There are reports that the town of Ramnicu Valcea is a haven for cyber criminals, perhaps the hacker equivalent of Tortuga, keeping the whole pirate motif going!

India, Italy, and Hungary

Rounding out the list in eighth, ninth and tenth place respectively, these three nations account for about 5.3 percent of hacker traffic. Hungary, in fact, narrowly beat out South Korea, which will get the Dishonorable Mention award this time around.

If you want to do a little more reading on the subject, check out “Where Are The Worst Places In The World For Hacking?” There’s more information regarding which countries are targeted most often and motives for hackers.

About Author: John Terra has been a freelance writer since 1985. He thought for sure that North Korea was going to make the list.