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Study: US, UK, and Saudi Arabia lead in commitment to cybersecurity
July 2021 by Atlas VPN
Cybersecurity practices are constantly evolving as new technologies emerge.
According to recent Atlas VPN team findings, the United States, United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia lead in commitment to cybersecurity. However, many countries still lack training and education programs for many professionals.
The United States earned a perfect score of 100, getting all 20 points in each GCI indicator. However, while the US has the most cybersecurity resources, the latest cyberattacks on Americans have shown room for improvement.
The United Kingdom follows behind, scoring 99.54 points in GCI. The score indicates that the UK has to employ more computer incident response teams, enabling a country to respond to incidents at the national level using a centralized contact point and promote quick and systematic action.
Saudi Arabia shares second place, getting the same score of 99.54 as the UK. While being one of the fastest developing countries, Saudi Arabia has placed great importance on cybersecurity.
Estonia takes the fourth slot as they scored 99.48, losing just half a point in the capacity development indicator. Estonia has become one of the heavyweights in cybersecurity with a high-functioning central system for monitoring, reporting, and resolving incidents.
The Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Spain all share fifth place, scoring 98.52 points.
Cybersecurity writer and researcher at Atlas VPN William Sword shares his thoughts on the current cybersecurity landscape:
“Beyond co-operating within countries, Global Cybersecurity Index leaders could help less developed countries address cybersecurity challenges. For example, creating a strategy or sharing good cyber practices can help reach more balanced and robust security against cyber threats.”
Lack of cybersecurity training
One of the reasons why cyberattacks continue to increase is a lack of cybersecurity education and training.
Just 46% of countries provided specific cybersecurity training for the public sector and government officials. Employees in these fields usually work with a lot of sensitive or confidential information, which is why education on cybersecurity is essential.
Meanwhile, 41% of countries provided cybersecurity training to small and medium enterprises or private companies. Businesses often become targets for hackers as the latter can easily profit off of stolen data or ransomware attacks.
Law enforcement agents received educational cybersecurity programs in 37% of countries.
