The average number of cyberattacks detected by mainland China and Hong Kong companies grew 969% between 2014 and 2016, with IoT technology particularly vulnerable, according to a PwC survey. The rise compared to a 3% fall in the global average over two years, and 30% fall since 2015; however, PwC's Marin Ivezic puts those falls down to "more sophisticated cyber criminals who [are] more selective in who they targeted". In its report, PwC said that while there was no evidence yet for an increase in Chinese government involvement in hacking attacks, it is "likely" as many as 10 countries are involved in such activity.
The average number of cyberattacks detected by mainland China and Hong Kong companies grew 969% between 2014 and 2016, with IoT technology particularly vulnerable, according to a PwC survey. The rise compared to a 3% fall in the global average over two years, and 30% fall since 2015; however, PwC's Marin Ivezic puts those falls down to "more sophisticated cyber criminals who [are] more selective in who they targeted". Rapid growth in connected devices was noted as a potential driver, however, the 440 China-based firms surveyed also cut cyber-security budgets by 7.6% in 2016 whereas globally, spending remained flat.