In 2021 there were over 400,000 reports of cybercrime and fraud in the UK alone, which goes to show how dangerous the online world can be, but which areas of the country are most at risk of a cyber attack and how can this be prevented?
A report carried out by cyber security leaders ESET, has revealed the areas of the UK most at risk of cybercrime and how this has changed over recent years.
You can view the full research here – https://www.eset.com/uk/about/
Top 10 UK areas with Highest Cybercrime Rates
|
Rank |
Police Force |
Total cybercrime reports last year |
Population |
Cybercrimes per 100,000 people |
Percentage change (YoY) |
|
1 |
Metropolitan (London) |
5,258 |
8,991,600 |
58.5 |
-11.8% |
|
2 |
Surrey |
644 |
1,199,900 |
53.7 |
-8.1% |
|
3 |
Kent |
999 |
1,868,200 |
53.5 |
-9.0% |
|
4 |
Northamptonshire |
399 |
757,200 |
52.7 |
-0.2% |
|
5 |
Hertfordshire |
607 |
1,195,700 |
50.8 |
-19.4% |
|
6 |
Cheshire |
541 |
1,069,600 |
50.6 |
-10.8% |
|
7 |
Nottinghamshire |
581 |
1,170,500 |
49.6 |
-0.3% |
|
8 |
Cambridgeshire |
412 |
859,800 |
47.9 |
-5.5% |
|
9 |
Thames Valley |
1,142 |
2,431,900 |
47.0 |
-14.8% |
|
10 |
Sussex |
803 |
1,718,200 |
46.7 |
-5.8% |
The research also revealed the following:
- The UK has seen a slight decline in cybercrime of -2.97%, with 9 in 10 regions seeing a decrease of cybercrime between 2020 and 2021. While Norfolk had the highest increase in cybercrime rising by 19.83%.
- London was found to have the most cybercrimes per 100,000 people (58.5) as well as the highest overall number of cybercrimes in the UK (5,258). Surrey takes second place, while Kent comes in third.
- The most common type of cybercrime in the UK was found to be hacking, which made up 85% of the total reported cybercrimes.
Jake Moore, Cybersecurity Specialist for ESET, commented on the findings:
“Knowledge is the key to reducing cybercrime and with this noticeable shift in offences reported year on year, it is starting to suggest that people are becoming more savvy at spotting scams and keeping their wits about them. Social media and email hacking, however, remains the biggest threat across the country so people need to remember to implement basic security measures to combat hacking with password managers and turning on multi-factor authentication for all online accounts.”
