Burlington still riskiest for cyber crime

For the second year in a row, Burlington has been deemed the riskiest city in Canada for cyber crime.

Researchers in the Symantec study considered everything from the number of computers and smartphones, to social networking and logging on to unsecured wi-fi hotspots.

Burlington placed high in all four categories.

To protect yourself, be careful when using wi-fi hot spots, use complex and unique passwords for each website, and keep your security software updated. If you’re using social media, check your privacy settings.

Lynn Hargrove of Symantec Canada: “Think about whether you like everyone to see what you’re looking at.”

“Because there are some bad pieces of software where that can happen on free wi-fi, so always assume that what you’re doing could potentially be eavesdropped on smartphones; you need to think about your smartphone as an extension of your computing platform, so you need to secure that device. First off make sure it has a lock; think about what you’re doing on your smart phone , banking, online shopping, so make sure that phone is protected.”

Burlington mayor Rick Goldring says they city is choosing to look at the positive aspects… saying “the report shows our residents are connected and are reaping the benefits of using the internet for both personal and business needs.”

“This is a good opportunity to look at these risk factors and remind residents – even those in other cities – to protect themselves and their information online.”

Hamilton ranked 41st on the list.

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