Indusface found out that the United Kingdom only ranked 12th most cyber secure European countries and the 40th in the global ranking, with an overall cyber security index score of 71.19/100.
The UK has an average of 680 phishing sites and 750 malware hosting sites per 100,000 urls, meaning that the chances of sites being fake or containing malware could be high.
Please find the full data including all countries here.
Top 10 most cyber secure European countries to work from
| Rank | Country | DDOS attacksper 100,000 Internet Users | Phishing sites per 100,000 urls | Malware hosting sites per 100,000 urls | Compromised computers per 100,000 internet users | Cyber security index score(/100) |
| = 1 | Finland | 79 | 320 | 430 | 47 | 82.45 |
| = 1 | Belgium | 314 | 280 | 390 | 11 | 82.45 |
| 3 | Austria | 175 | 260 | 340 | 137 | 80.59 |
| 4 | Switzerland | 203 | 460 | 470 | 17 | 78.09 |
| = 5 | Sweden | 94 | 410 | 390 | 736 | 76.31 |
| = 5 | Greece | 386 | 370 | 440 | 25 | 76.31 |
| 7 | Norway | 475 | 340 | 490 | 14 | 75.51 |
| 8 | France | 50 | 610 | 850 | 31 | 74.92 |
| = 9 | Germany | 177 | 480 | 570 | 75 | 73.89 |
| = 9 | Estonia | 698 | 540 | 440 | 14 | 73.89 |
* Total DDOS Attacks were counted between 2015 to 2021.
**Compromised computers = have been infected with the Gamarue botnetPlease see full methodology below
Indusface found out that Finland and Belgium share the title of the most secure European countries for businesses to allow employees to remotely work from, each with a cyber security score of 82.45 out of 100.
Finland has received the second lowest number of DDOS attacks (79) during 2015 to 2021, only 29 attacks higher than France who has the lowest among the top 10 European countries. This is an important factor for businesses to consider as successful DDOS attacks could block your business sites and bring down all servers and connections you depend on.
Contributing to Belgium’s top ranking is that it has the lowest number of compromised computers per 100,000 internet users (11) in the country. Computers that have been infected with the Gamarue botnet open doors to hackers and make it easier for them to take control of your business data and devices. Belgium also has the joint second lowest malware hosting sites among all top 10 European countries, with an average of 390 sites per 100,000 urls.
Ranking third as the most cyber-secure European country is Austria with an overall cyber security index score of 80.59/100. Boasting the lowest number of both malware hosting sites (34) and phishing sites (260) per 100,000 urls, the country owns less sites that could trick you or contain malware, making businesses less worried about sensitive information being stolen.
In fourth place is Switzerland with a cyber secure index score of 78.09/100. Sweden and Greece rank joint fifth place with a score of 76.31/100.
Please find the full data including all countries here. Please find images for editorial use here.
5 least cyber secure European countries to work from
| Rank | Country | DDOS attacks per 100,000 Internet Users | Phishing sites per 100,000 urls | Malware hosting sites per 100,000 urls | Compromised computers per 100,000 internet users | Cyber security score(/100) |
| 1 | Bulgaria | 167.40 | 1220 | 1,170 | 430 | 51.82 |
| 2 | Serbia | 173.61 | 780 | 790 | 1,467 | 53.83 |
| 3 | Lithuania | 560.74 | 1010 | 840 | 38 | 55.77 |
| 4 | Romania | 118.00 | 1040 | 720 | 1,435 | 56.01 |
| 5 | Croatia | 724.60 | 750 | 340 | 2,105 | 56.57 |
Bulgaria ranks the least secure European countries for businesses to allow employees to remotely work from, with a total cybersecurity score of only 51.82 out of 100. With 1,220 phishing sites and 1,170 malware hosting sites per 100,000 urls, businesses in the country will need to be extra careful when identifying whether a website is genuine.
Serbia owns one of the highest number of compromised computers per 100,000 internet users (1,467) which leads to its low cyber security score of 53.83 – ranking as the second least cybersecure European country.
Please find the full data including all countries here. Please find images for editorial use here.
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Venky Sundar, Founder and President of Indusface comments on working remotely across the world:
“Attracting top talent through remote work can revolutionise your business. However, it also leaves your sensitive data and assets vulnerable to hackers. Therefore, it is important to be prepared to address remote work security risks. There are a few points when recruiting talents globally:
“Firstly, you could consider which countries are least targeted by hackers and least risk to your cyber security.
“Secondly, look at regulations that govern data security. For example, GDPR is probably the gold standard when it comes to data security.
“Thirdly, research law enforcement. This indicates how quickly people will be punished when committing cybercrime.
“Fourthly, get to know the government grants. Cybersecurity grants are provided to SMBs who tend to be more susceptible to attacks.
“Fifthly, the level of cybersecurity awareness in the generation also affects how likely hackers would commit cyber crimes.”
Venky Sundar, Founder and President of Indusface provides six top tips for businesses who apply remote or hybrid working:
“There is no one way to secure remote working but instead you should make remote work access security an integral part of your employee’s ongoing training and workplace culture. Here are eight best practices for secure remote working within your business:
1. Create strong authentication
It starts by identifying the remote worker before a worker can access corporate data and assets. From this, you can build audit trails of the actions against the identity.
2. Update your systems and encrypt your devices
Outdated technology could open doors to hackers with credential information like credit cards being stolen. Cases like this will have a fatal hit on your business’s reputation as well as cyber security. It is highly recommended that all your devices be updated and encrypted with SSL certificates.
3. Conquer internal security risks
Working habits could lead to malware or ransomware attacks that could put your company and your clients at risk. We really recommend hosting full employee training on cyber security and making it fun. You could get your team engaged in the training by setting up phishing email simulators so they could see the potential dangers in action.
4. Avoid weak or duplicate passwords
Many businesses share duplicate passwords for multiple accounts. Research shows hackers rely on weak passwords when brute forcing PoS terminals. Use an automatic password generator to create safe and secure passwords companywide.
5. Only upload files to secure systems
Hackers could upload their own files with malicious code that can be executed directly on your server. Therefore, it is important to avoid storing data in unencrypted storage, leaving data on devices without password protection, and attaching sensitive information directly into an email.
6. Secure web application security
Using a combination of open-source CMS and cloud-based apps increases your remote work risks. It should be considered as part of your security policy to approve web app purchases and free downloads.
