Cybercrime lurks in B.C. wired cities

If you live in Port Coquitlam, Vancouver, Langley, New Westminster or Victoria, you may be at higher risk for cybercrime — in part simply because you are online more and are well networked.

A report from anti-virus computer software maker Norton placed these B.C. cities in its top 10 ranking of “riskiest” Canadian cities for cybercrime.

Among the factors contributing to a riskier ranking are simply having a high prevalence of personal computers and smart phones, high usage rates of the Internet and social media, high level of activities online such as shopping, banking and emailing that could compromise personal information, and using Wi-fi connections frequently.

There portal some asured the number of malware infections, attempted spamming and bot-infections, and the number of hacker attacks originating in the city.

Overall, Burlington, Ont., placed first among cities at risk for cybercrime.

Poco has a high level of cybercrimes per capita and high social-networking usage, while Vancouver was found to have a high number of Wi-fi spots per capita and high levels of spamming IP addresses.

Langley’s reported cybercrime was in the 90th percentile and, in New West, 48 per cent of the population reported using social networks.

Victoria had the highest number of Wi-fi hot spots per capita at 170 per 100,000 residents and a high number of bot or automated attacks.

“Cities with the greatest risk factors do not necessarily correlate with the highest infection rates, reflecting the fact that many consumers are taking precautions to keep themselves safe,” the report explained.

The report was a joint effort by Symantec Canada, which produces Norton computer security products, and Bert Sperling of research firm Sperling’s Bestplaces.

“I suggest Canadians take a good look at how they are connecting online and what security perimeters they’ve put in place. If they are not certain they are as safe as possible, it’s easy to get educated and make small changes that go a long way to protect their information,” said Symantec Canada’s Lynn Hargrove.