Among the most highly wired economies, more cyber attacks originate from Israel and Hong Kong on a per-internet-user basis than anywhere else, while Kuwait and Iran top the list of the category of countries with fewer Internet users, according to a study released on Monday.

Overall, the United States generates by far the most cyber attacks, followed by Germany, South Korea, China and France, according to a report from Riptech Inc, a managed security service provider based in Alexandria, Virginia.

The most likely corporate targets were power and energy companies, the study said. Political analysts have expressed concern hackers target such companies to try to maximise the impact of any attack.

[ Read more ]