Background & Objective
This research investigates whether developing nations' greater cybersecurity vulnerabilities correlate with lower human development indices. The team quantified cyber risk using Comparitech's Global Cyber Security Ratings — measuring criteria like phishing and malware infection rates — and compared these against the UN's Human Development Index, which measures health, education, and living standards.
Methodology
The analysis examined data from over 60 countries, correlating their cybersecurity ratings with HDI scores across multiple dimensions.
Primary Finding
Specific Risks
Mobile ransomware trojans and local malware attacks showed the strongest correlation with lower HDI scores. These threats disproportionately affect developing nations where:
- Digital literacy programmes may be less established
- Technical infrastructure for defence may be limited
- Behavioural vulnerabilities in the population are more easily exploited
Key Conclusion
Lower-developed nations face cyber threats that specifically target individuals through behavioural vulnerabilities such as phishing and malware. Adopting human-centred cybersecurity approaches could simultaneously improve both cybersecurity posture and national development outcomes, as these nations experience disproportionate harm from attacks.