NCC Group has released its Origin of Hacks report for the first quarter of 2012. The UK has entered the top 10 for the first time, while the proportion of worldwide hacks coming from Russia and the Netherlands has also increased.

The UK now occupies seventh place, being responsible for 2.4 per cent of the world’s hacking attempts over the last quarter. This is double the proportion of the findings from the previous report, and sees the country move eight places up the table. Russia has also shown a large increase, with over 12 per cent of global hacks originating there, compared to just 3.5 per cent in the previous findings. This has cemented its position in third, behind the United States and China. As for the Netherlands, it’s up from 3.1 per cent to over 11 per cent, moving it into fourth place in the hacking chart. Overall, the top 10 has changed a great deal over just three months, with Italy, France and India all dropping out. Taking their places are Ukraine in fifth, South Korea in ninth and the UK.

Rob Cotton, NCC Group’s chief executive, comments: “Cybercrime is perpetually evolving - the dramatic increase of hacks from certain countries over a three month period just goes to show the fluidity and quick-changing nature of the issue. Because cybercrime develops and alters on a daily basis, so too must the counter-measures. We need greater agility and collaboration on an international scale.”

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