In 2015, English was reported as the most-used language for cyber attacks (84.1%). According to a report by security software company Trend Micro Incorporated (TMI), it was followed by Chinese (2.6%) and German (1.7%).
TMI released their annual security report which looked closely at the significant cyber incidents from 2015.
The report read: “The first quarter of 2016 clearly showed we need to also watch out for older threats and how no industry or system should feel exempt. After all who would have thought that language is also something to worry about from cyber threats perspective!”
English is still the most used digital language
It may not some as a huge surprise that most cyber attacks are in English. This is largely because English still holds its place as the most used online language. However a lot has happened since English made up 80% of online content. Now English is used for 30% of the digital sphere, with Chinese increasing by 1277.4% between 2000 and 2010.
Are most hacks coming from English speaking countries?
Not necessarily. With English being one of the fastest-spreading languages in the world, there are now more non-native than native speakers; thus making it the easiest hacking method. Approximately 375 million people speak English and there are over 50 countries where English is the official language. It is the third most primary language, behind Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
Chinese has become increasingly popular over the last few years and has been predicted to soon compete with English.
Additionally, the survey also found that attackers are smarter and more daring now, especially when it comes to cyber-espionage efforts and cyber underground activity internationally. However, the TMI network blocked over 52 billion threats in 2015 which is a 25% decrease from 2014. This decrease has come as spammers are more selective of their targets and the technology they use.
With language posing a security threat to data and identity, it is suggested that in order to protect against new attacks, people need to regularly update the software on their systems.