Compare cybersecurity risks in the U.S. and another country.

Cybercrimes are a unique crime, especially on an international scale. Unyielding to national borders and regulations, cybercrimes can be challenging to assess and control. There are multiple avenues through which cybercrime can be committed, with some being more advanced than others. One widespread method around the globe is spam mail, with a whopping 72% of all emails being sent as spam worldwide. Though seen as a general nuisance, spam mail is often infected with malware called a botnet. Botnet allows cyber-criminals to remotely control thousands of PCs without the owner’s awareness, therefore further spreading the malware. Spam has been recorded as extremely high in China, Brazil, the US, and Russia. Through spam mail, cyber-criminals can commit more commonly known internet scams. These include phishing, advance fee fraud scheme, and ransomware schemes. Phishing attacks consist of the perpetrator sending victims apps and websites that the user is familiar with, such as banking websites and online shopping sites. These sites are not legitimate, and once the user has been tricked into entering personal information such as credit card information, the perpetrator can steal their funds. The US has been reported as the country with the highest number of phishing attacks, receiving 60% of worldwide attacks. The US is also a significant source of global phishing attacks, along with China, Russia, Ukraine, and Brazil. Advance fee frauds are especially despicable, as the fraudster tricks an individual into believing they have won the lottery, entered a romantic relationship, or forged a business deal. These scams are most prevalent in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and the US. Ransomware schemes tend to be more targeted and calculated, with the offender putting malware on the victim’s computer that then searches for important files to encrypt with a password. Afterward, the offender contacts the victim and demands payment for the password. A more common and less organized mode of cybercrime would be digital piracy, which has greatly increased in recent years. Digital piracy remains the most prevalent in the United States, China, Russia, and Ukraine.