Report: Tampa, Orlando and St. Louis saw the most malware in 2016

Dive Brief:

Tampa, FL, Orlando, FL, and St. Louis had the highest malware infection rates per capita in the U.S. last year, according to a new report from Enigma Software Group.
The three cities had five times the national average malware infections. Those same three cities were also near the top of the list of highest infection rates in 2015. Tampa experienced malware attacks at rates 540% higher than the national average.
It’s unclear why certain cities are seeing more malware than others. "There could be a number of factors including the demographics of the area, how widespread PC usage is (versus Mac or mobile devices), we've even seen weather play a role in infections from time to time," said ESG spokesperson Ryan Gerding in an announcement.

Dive Insight:

The top three cities were followed by Denver, Atlanta and Newark, NJ. Enigma derived the figures by examining malware detection data from its SpyHunter anti-spyware software in the 100 largest cities in the U.S.

Malware, phishing emails and ransomware are all on the rise, and people and businesses in all cities should ensure they are aware of potential scams to protect themselves and their data. A recent report from PhishMe found 97.25% of phishing emails in 2016 contained a form of ransomware, up from 92% in Q1 2016.