Atlanta, Orlando, and Denver Have the Highest Malware Infection Rates Among Major Cities in the U.S. During First Half of 2018
Atlanta, Orlando, and Denver top the list of the most malware-infected cities in the U.S. That's according to data released today by EnigmaSoft, makers of the SpyHunter 5 anti-malware software. The EnigmaSoft research team looked at infection data from SpyHunter throughout the United States over the first six months of 2018. Their compiled data showed that computers in Atlanta, Orlando, and Denver were the most likely to have infections. St. Louis and Tampa rounded out the top five.
EnigmaSoft also looked at infections by state. Those results showed that the most infected states were Colorado, New Hampshire, and Virginia.
"It's hard to say exactly why one city or state has a higher rate of infection than others," said EnigmaSoft spokesperson Ryan Gerding. "There's a wide variety at the top of the list. Larger cities, smaller cities, and cities in every geographic area. The same is true for the least infected areas. New York and San Francisco ranked near the very bottom of the list."
EnigmaSoft also looked at the days of the week with the most infections over the first half of 2018. Wednesdays had the most infections, and Sundays had the fewest.
Infections detected on computers in the U.S. ranged from what EnigmaSoft identifies as Potentially Unwanted Programs or "nuisanceware", which slow down computers and change some settings, all the way to ransomware, which threatens to delete valuable files unless the victim pays a ransom.
"No matter what city or state you are in or what day of the week it is, it is important to always be vigilant about the threat of malware and other infections," Gerding said.
Tips to Protect Your PC Against Malware Infections
- Regularly backup your data. Ideally, you should have a physical backup (external drive connected to your computer) and a cloud-based backup. Either way, set your computer to backup your files automatically and frequently.
- Set your computer to automatically install any operating system updates that may become available. Often, vulnerabilities creep up within outdated software leaving a system susceptible to malware threats that leverage such vulnerabilities.
- Install a trusted anti-spyware/malware software. Adjust the settings of the security software so that updates are installed automatically.
- Be wary of links that are sent to you in emails or social media messages. "Think about that link" before you click.
Lists of the Top Days of the Week, Cities, and States and their Corresponding Infection Data
Days of the Week Ranked from Most Infections to Least
| 1 | Wednesday |
| 2 | Friday |
| 3 | Thursday |
| 4 | Monday |
| 5 | Tuesday |
| 6 | Saturday |
| 7 | Sunday |
U.S. Cities with the Highest Malware Infection Rates
|
Rank |
City |
% Over Average |
|
1 |
Atlanta |
1035.45% |
|
2 |
Orlando |
985.90% |
|
3 |
Denver |
953.04% |
|
4 |
St. Louis |
822.90% |
|
5 |
Tampa |
750.30% |
|
6 |
Newark |
603.15% |
|
7 |
Washington |
541.89% |
|
8 |
Cleveland |
490.62% |
|
9 |
Madison |
458.22% |
|
10 |
Cincinnati |
422.84% |
|
11 |
Raleigh |
312.84% |
|
12 |
Dallas |
276.37% |
|
13 |
Irvine |
270.31% |
|
14 |
Minneapolis |
267.69% |
|
15 |
Buffalo |
244.84% |
|
16 |
Boise |
236.93% |
|
17 |
Boston |
216.03% |
|
18 |
Miami |
214.62% |
|
19 |
Greensboro |
194.55% |
|
20 |
Pittsburgh |
191.79% |
|
21 |
Milwaukee |
184.29% |
|
22 |
Las Vagas |
166.87% |
|
23 |
Kansas City |
166.46% |
|
24 |
Phoenix |
153.93% |
|
25 |
Seattle |
153.64% |
|
26 |
Columbus |
132.50% |
|
27 |
Portland |
125.27% |
|
28 |
Sacramento |
98.17% |
|
29 |
San Jose |
92.84% |
|
30 |
Baton Rouge |
91.57% |
|
31 |
Indianapolis |
89.80% |
|
32 |
Honolulu |
83.12% |
|
33 |
Omaha |
80.13% |
|
34 |
Scottsdale |
78.60% |
|
35 |
Austin |
72.91% |
|
36 |
Baltimore |
71.41% |
|
37 |
Lincoln |
70.12% |
|
38 |
Colorado Springs |
63.81% |
|
39 |
Birmingham |
55.81% |
|
40 |
Tulsa |
53.55% |
|
41 |
Philadelphia |
52.04% |
|
42 |
Plano |
48.82% |
|
43 |
Albuquerque |
46.66% |
|
44 |
Charlotte |
46.47% |
|
45 |
Norfolk |
40.61% |
|
46 |
Tucson |
39.82% |
|
47 |
San Diego |
37.74% |
|
48 |
Bakersfield |
32.63% |
|
49 |
Louisville |
30.68% |
|
50 |
Wichita |
26.74% |
|
51 |
Anchorage |
18.07% |
U.S. States Ranked by Malware Infection Rates
|
Rank |
State |
% Over Average |
|
1 |
Colorado |
106.19% |
|
2 |
New Hampshire |
88.16% |
|
3 |
Virginia |
67.10% |
|
4 |
New Jersey |
47.27% |
|
5 |
Oregon |
28.29% |
|
6 |
Montana |
17.28% |
|
7 |
Wyoming |
16.88% |
|
8 |
Missouri |
15.74% |
|
9 |
New York |
13.40% |
|
10 |
Pennsylvania |
9.37% |
|
11 |
Maine |
6.12% |
|
12 |
Massachusetts |
-1.40% |
|
13 |
Arizona |
-2.59% |
|
14 |
Georgia |
-3.51% |
|
15 |
North Dakota |
-4.61% |
|
16 |
Wisconsin |
-5.88% |
|
17 |
Nebraska |
-5.99% |
|
18 |
Iowa |
-8.96% |
|
19 |
Maryland |
-9.38% |
|
20 |
Alaska |
-10.23% |
|
21 |
Florida |
-12.59% |
|
22 |
Ohio |
-13.01% |
|
23 |
Washington |
-14.48% |
|
24 |
Rhode Island |
-15.36% |
|
25 |
South Dakota |
-16.31% |
|
26 |
Texas |
-16.67% |
|
27 |
Kansas |
-17.14% |
|
28 |
Arkansas |
-18.22% |
|
29 |
Connecticut |
-20.65% |
|
30 |
New Mexico |
-20.91% |
|
31 |
Vermont |
-20.97% |
|
32 |
Utah |
-21.82% |
|
33 |
South Carolina |
-22.01% |
|
34 |
Michigan |
-23.64% |
|
35 |
Idaho |
-23.84% |
|
36 |
Nevada |
-25.18% |
|
37 |
Illinois |
-25.24% |
|
38 |
North Carolina |
-26.90% |
|
39 |
West Virginia |
-27.15% |
|
40 |
Delaware |
-28.14% |
|
41 |
Minnesota |
-33.04% |
|
42 |
Louisiana |
-34.24% |
|
43 |
California |
-37.72% |
|
44 |
Oklahoma |
-38.29% |
|
45 |
Indiana |
-38.56% |
|
46 |
Kentucky |
-40.50% |
|
47 |
Hawaii |
-48.88% |
|
48 |
Tennessee |
-55.03% |
|
49 |
Mississippi |
-57.17% |
|
50 |
Alabama |
-65.16% |