Businesses operating in these 10 US cities are vulnerable to sophisticated cyber attacks

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According to a survey conducted by a New York-based Cloud Security firm named Coronet; the businesses which are operating in these below listed 10 cities are vulnerable to sophisticated cyber attacks.

The conclusion was driven after Coronet examined data from more than 1 million endpoints to determine the vulnerability level of devices and infrastructure in each metro area to obtain an overall threat scale index.

Coronet survey marked the vulnerability level of the firms operating in each metro area based on the overall Threat Index Score(TIS) of 0 to 10. The firm benchmarked the acceptable risk level as 6.5 and so all those businesses operating in metro cities and which fall below 6.5 can be attributed as safe. And those with higher score represent unacceptable exposure.

So, here’s the list of 10 least secure metro cities in the United States.

Las Vegas, Nevada has a threat index score of 10.0 and so this world’s top tourist and trade show destination has bagged a number one place in Coronet Cyber Threat index chart. Thus, web users in Vegas, are found facing 43% probability of connecting to either medium to high-risk networks, impacting both the local population and the millions of visitors and corporate event attendees. It was found in the survey that almost all public WiFi’s being offered by Hotels, casinos and restaurants were either distributing mobile malware or were serving as access points to phishing attacks.

Memphis which is Tennessee and a home to FedEx was found to have a threat index score of 9.8.  Security researchers from Coronet say that in the past two years, SMBs serving as supply chains have fallen prey to phishing attacks.

Charlotte, NC- As this place is a hub for energy conglomerates and financial institutions; it has become a prime target for cyber attacks. It TIS is 9.8.

Houston, Texas is a home to a number of oil and gas companies. Coronet researchers have found that the industrial control systems used by these firms are prone to cyber attacks of severe nature. The TIS of businesses operating in this region is said to be at 9.2 on the scale.

Providence which is in Rhode Island is a home to many businesses belonging to healthcare business vertical. As medical records and patient data have a lot of value on the dark web, the companies operating in this region are said to be highly prone to ransomware attacks such as WannaCry and NotPetya. TIS is 9.0

Firms operating in Birmingham which is in Alabama are credited with a Threat Index Score of 9.0. This region is found populated with large-scale manufacturing companies.

Jacksonville, FL holds a TIS of 8.9 and as the region is populated with aerospace, insurance, and manufacturing companies holding legacy equipment, it makes them easy targets for hackers.

West Palm Beach, FL holds a score of 8.9 and is said to have become a soft target for cybercriminals as it houses 45th US President Donald Trump “Happy Dwelling”.

Businesses operating in Orlando, FL are having a Threat Index Score of 8.5

In the same way, firms operating in Tampa, Florida, which houses most of the above average elderly population, is said to be vulnerable to financial cybersecurity scams. Hence, the businesses operating in this region are holding a TIS of 8.3.

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Naveen Goud is a writer at Cybersecurity Insiders covering topics such as Mergers & Acquisitions, Startups, Cyber Attacks, Cloud Security and Mobile Security

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