Oxford University: Romania among countries with highest cybercrime threat levels worldwide

Romania is ranked as the sixth country with the highest cybercrime threat levels globally in the first-ever World Cybercrime Index created by a team of international researchers for Oxford University.

The data was compiled over three years and identifies the globe’s key cybercrime hotspots by ranking the most significant sources of cybercrime at a national level.

Russia tops the list, followed by Ukraine, China, the USA, Nigeria, and Romania. The UK comes in at number eight.

“The research that underpins the Index will help remove the veil of anonymity around cybercriminal offenders, and we hope that it will aid the fight against the growing threat of profit-driven cybercrime,” said Dr. Miranda Bruce, co-author of the study, in the press release. “We now have a deeper understanding of the geography of cybercrime, and how different countries specialize in different types of cybercrime,” she added.

The data that underpins the Index was gathered through a survey of 92 leading cybercrime experts from around the world who are involved in cybercrime intelligence gathering and investigations. The survey asked the experts to consider five major categories of cybercrime, nominate the countries that they consider to be the most significant sources of each of these types of cybercrime, and then rank each country according to the impact, professionalism, and technical skill of its cyber criminals.

Cybersecurity firms, law enforcement agencies, and international organizations regularly publish reports that identify the major sources of cyber attacks, but these cannot accurately measure offender location. The type of crime is also a factor.

“Russia and Ukraine are highly technical cybercrime hubs, whereas Nigerian cybercriminals are engaged in less technical forms of cybercrime. [...] Some may specialize in cybercrime types with middling technical complexity (e.g. Data/identity theft). Others may specialize in both high- and low-tech crimes. In this sample of countries, India somewhat specializes in Scams but is otherwise a balanced hub, whereas Romania and the USA specialize in both technical and non-technical crimes, balancing their scores towards zero,” the report mentions.

(photo source: University of Oxford on Facebook)