PH ranks 27th in global cybersecurity

ON a wing and a prayer, the world navigates cyberspace with its ever-present threats of cybersecurity. But, divine intervention notwithstanding, the Holy See actually enjoys the highest protection in cybersecurity.

Organized by NordVPN, a leading cybersecurity company and a part of Nord Security, the National Privacy Test is designed to evaluate aspects of an individual’s online life, including their understanding of cybersecurity in theory and their ability to recognize online threats and react accordingly.

Concurrently, nine of 10 countries demonstrating the best cybersecurity literacy skills are from the European Union, where Vatican City (or The Holy See) tops the global ranking, as the National Privacy Test results indicate.

“The National Privacy Test is a tool to compare cybersecurity skills in various countries and regions. It offers the possibility to evaluate individual digital privacy skills for every internet user. Internet users are again invited to evaluate their online privacy and cybersecurity awareness and get tips on how it can be improved,” says Daniel Markuson, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN.

The National Privacy Test was first offered in 2020, and data collected shows that respondents from Vatican City scored 72 points, the highest global result. Residents of Vatican City demonstrated an excellent awareness of digital risks and how to avoid them, scoring 90 points. On the other hand, the results showed a need to improve digital habits (54 points), for example, how to use online services and privacy tools to ensure data security.

Singapore is the only non-European country to belong in the top 10 of the National Privacy Test. Singapore ranked 7th globally with 69 points and achieved the highest score among all Asian countries, and Malaysia came close at 67 points.

But the Philippines is actually not that far behind. With 66 points, the Philippines ranks 27th on the global scoreboard.

The global average score is 65 points. Data shows that respondents worldwide succeeded the most in recognizing and avoiding digital risks (82 points), with users scoring 69 points on average for knowing how to protect their devices from malware and keep accounts safe. Respondents scored only 47 points for knowing how to use online services and employing the right privacy tools to ensure their data is secure.

NordVPN launched the open-access National Privacy Test survey in November 2020. About 140,000 respondents from 192 countries responded to 20 questions that evaluated their online privacy skills and knowledge. Pinpointing to an individual country level, analysis was performed only for countries where the number of respondents was higher than 100.