The average number of cyberattacks detected by mainland China and Hong Kong police grew 969 % between 2014 and 2016 , with IoT technology particularly vulnerable , according to a PwC survey . The rise compares to a 20 % 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 " . “IoT devices in general have not paid attention to cyber security,” said Marin Ivezic, a partner on cyber security at PwC in Hong Kong. Rapid investment in connected devices was noted as a potential driver , however , the 440 China - based firms surveyed also cut cyber - security spending by 7.6 % in 2016 whereas globally , spending remained flat .
The average number of cyberattacks detected by mainland China and Hong Kong police grew 969 % between 2014 and 2016 , with IoT technology particularly vulnerable , according to a PwC survey . The rise compares to a 20 % 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 investment in connected devices was noted as a potential driver , however , the 440 China - based firms surveyed also cut cyber - security spending by 7.6 % in 2016 whereas globally , spending remained flat .