New Zealand is one of the least cyber-ready countries in the world
A new report ranks countries by their level of cyber readiness, with Australia ranked 30th and Sweden ranked first.
New research has revealed bad news for our friends across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand.
When it comes to cybersecurity, the country is one of the worst prepared nations in the world.
It’s not the worst (that rather questionable honor goes to Mexico), but it is the third worst, according to new research from password management company Psono.
However, it is much better news for Sweden, which is the most prepared country in the world when it comes to cybersecurity.
Psono’s research takes into account five key factors. The first two are Statista’s Global Cybersecurity Index and its ranking of countries in terms of personal data exposed to data breaches. Psono also analyzed the cases of the search term “How to create a secure password” per 100,000 inhabitants, the number of cybersecurity professionals in the country and its Digital Competitiveness Ranking.
The Global Cyber Security Index accounts for 80 percent of the final ranking, and the other four factors are weighted so that each is worth 5 percent.
Taking this into account, the five most prepared countries in the world are Sweden, Singapore, Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
The five worst prepared countries are Mexico, Egypt, New Zealand, Peru and Argentina. Perhaps not surprisingly, Nigeria, home to some of the most active organized spam networks in the world, ranks sixth among the worst prepared.
Australia is well outside the top 10, ranking as the 30th most prepared country in the world. In fact, we are better prepared than the rest of our partners in the Five Eyes Alliance, for example, but we are still behind countries like South Korea, Iceland and Japan.
“When it comes to protecting yourself from data security threats, it is crucial to focus on a few key areas: public awareness and professional support. “Countries with a higher density of cybersecurity professionals per capita and strong public commitment to practices such as creating strong passwords tend to be better prepared to handle cyber threats,” a Psono spokesperson said in a statement.
“It is important to regularly update your security practices, such as using unique, strong passwords and ensuring that both individuals and businesses have access to the right cybersecurity expertise. “Being aware of the latest threats and best practices can go a long way to keeping your data safe.”
