Recent research has shown that 68% of high-revenue growth companies have embraced a hybrid model worldwide. With businesses enjoying remote or hybrid working, benefits including reduced maintenance costs, improved flexibility and extended talent pool, Cyber Security awareness has become more critical than ever.

With this in mind, Indusface has been intrigued to find out the most secure countries for businesses to allow their employees to work from, by creating an index score based on Cyber security data including DDOS attacks, phishing sites, malware hosting sites and compromised computers.

Indusface found out that UK only ranked 12^th most cyber secure European country and 40^th in the global ranking, with an overall cyber security index score of 71.19/100. It 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.

Top 10 most cyber secure European countries to work from

*Total DDOS attacks were counted between 2015 to 2021. 

**Compromised computers = have been infected with the Gamarue botnet.

The company 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 second lowest malware hosting sites, with an average of 390 sites per 100,000 URLs. 

Ranking third 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 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 fifth place with a score of 76.31/100. 

Five least cyber secure European countries to work from

Bulgaria ranks the least secure for businesses to allow employees to remotely work from, with a total cyber security 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 cyber secure European country.

Venky says, “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 cyber crime. Fourthly, get to know the government grants. Cyber security grants are provided to SMBs who tend to be more susceptible to attacks. Finally, the level of cyber security awareness in the generation also affects how likely hackers would commit cyber crimes.” 

Venky continues, “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. There are six best practices for secure remote working within your business.”

The six best practices include:

• Create strong authentication 

It starts by identifying the remote worker before a worker can access corporate data and assets. From this, a company can build audit trails of the actions against the identity.

• Update systems and encrypt 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 a business’s reputation as well as cyber security. It is highly recommended that all the devices be updated and encrypted with SSL certificates.

• Conquer internal security risks

Working habits could lead to malware or ransomware attacks that could put a company and clients at risk. Indusface recommends hosting full employee training on cyber security and making it fun. The team can get engaged in the training by setting up phishing email simulators so they could see the potential dangers in action. 

• 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 company wide. 

• Only upload files to secure systems

Hackers could upload their own files with malicious code that can be executed directly on company’s 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. 

• Secure web application security

Using a combination of open-source CMS and cloud-based apps increases remote work risks. It should be considered as part of a company’s security policy to approve web app purchases and free downloads.

The data was collected in June 2023 and is correct as of then.

The post Indusface reveals cyber secure countries for business appeared first on Data Centre & Network News.