The internet has become an indispensable part of our lives, transforming how we communicate and access information. As we look ahead, the internet’s influence is set to surge even further.
According to estimations by the Atlas VPN team, the number of internet users is projected to surpass 6 billion within the next five years.
As of 2023, there are approximately 5.16 billion internet users globally, accounting for 64.4% of the world’s population. By 2028, this number is expected to rise by nearly a fifth (19%) and reach 6.13 billion.
These estimations are based on historic internet user data provided by DataReportal.
Internet user numbers and penetration rates vary widely around the globe. Developed countries typically boast internet penetration rates of over 80%, while those with less advanced cyberspace can hover below 50%. Surprisingly, the top 20 countries alone account for a staggering 3.67 billion internet users, representing 71% of the world’s total.
China currently leads the world in terms of the largest internet user population, with 1.05 billion users, comprising over 20% of the total global internet users. Overall,73.7% of China’s population has internet access.
India, the second most populous country as of January 2023, holds the second spot on the list with 692 million internet users. However, only about 48.7% of India’s population has internet access, ranking it below the world’s average. In fact, India has the highest number of unconnected people worldwide, with over 730 million individuals lacking internet access.’
Next on the list is the United States (US), with 311.3 million internet users, which translates to approximately 91.8% of its population having internet access.
The US is followed by Indonesia and Brazil, with 212.9 million and 181.8 million internet users, respectively. 77% of Indonesia’s population has internet access, while Brazil’s rate is slightly higher at 84.3%. Brazilians also rank second in terms of time spent online.
Other countries in the top ten include Russia (127.6 million), Nigeria (122.5 million), Japan (102.5 million), Mexico (100.6 million), and the Philippines (85.16 million).
The digital future
As the number of internet users continues to climb steadily and technology evolves exponentially, the digital landscape is poised for profound transformations, ushering in new opportunities and challenges that will shape the future of our interconnected world.
As the number of internet users grows, so do the risks associated with data privacy and cybersecurity. Cyber threats, data breaches, and identity theft are increasingly prevalent in a hyper-connected world.
Not surprisingly, most Americans regard cyberterrorism as the most pressing danger to the United States, according to a Gallup poll on world affairs.
To read the full article, head over to:https://atlasvpn.com/blog/internet-users-are-estimated-to-reach-6-billion-in-the-next-5-years
An ISP Named Cloudzy Is Discovered To Be Supporting Cybercrime
Posted in Commentary with tags Security on August 3, 2023 by itnerdIn a new report by researchers at Halcyon, researchers detail an ISP with a legal US business profile identified as Cloudzy that is facilitating ransomware attacks and state-sponsored APT operations by providing C2P services to more than 20 hacking groups, including ransomware operators, spyware vendors, and state-sponsored APT actors.
Cloudzy does not verify customer identities and accepts anonymous crypto payments, and, despite terms and conditions prohibiting the use of its services for illicit activities, more than half of the servers hosted by Cloudzy appear to directly support malicious activities on infrastructure run from the IP space owned by other ISPs.
The company is registered in the US, but really only exists on paper, with its ‘employees’ being those of the hosting firm abrNOC in Tehran. Furthermore, Halcyon discovered infrastructure associated with hacking groups tied to Chinese, Iranian, Indian, North Korean, Pakistani, Russian, and Vietnamese governments, by the sanctioned Israeli spyware vendor Candiru, and other cybercrime and ransomware groups.
“While these C2P entities are ostensibly legitimate businesses that may or may not know that their platforms are being abused for attack campaigns, they nonetheless provide a key pillar of the larger attack apparatus leveraged by some of the most advanced threat actors,” said Halcyon on their blog.
Carol Volk, EVP, BullWall had this comment:
“Ransomware actors are knowingly or unknowingly supported by ISPs and crypto networks. They are a profitable and growing business model and all we can do is be prepared for the coming attack.
“In the near term, AI automation will initially accelerate the ransomware problem, while companies and researchers continue to improve upon methods of applying automation and AI approaches to their cyber defenses. Research by IBM found that fully 64% of respondents are already using AI to improve cyber defenses and response times, and 29% are evaluating implementation to improve their cyber defenses. AI will continue to improve the ability to identify network breaches and implement containment strategies, stopping the attacks before they can remove or encrypt data.
Willy Leichter, VP, Cyware follows up with this:
“This is another example of the well-developed hacking-as-a-service industry, and the limitations of blocking traffic based on location. While this is thinly veiled, there is certainly a lot of infrastructure in the US and other countries being controlled by illegal hacking groups. We need to always have a zero-trust mindset – don’t assume anything is safe because it’s from a reputable location.”
I have to admit that this is pretty crafty and a great way for these threat actors to get to victims. I wonder how many other setups like these exist? It would be in our interest to find out quickly.
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