Virginia is the U.S. state whose residents most often search online for cybersecurity-related topics, with an average of 655 monthly searches per 100,000 residents, according to NinjaOne, a patch management company, in a newly released study.
NinjaOne analyzed Google search data for a collection of cybersecurity keywords for each state, then compared this with each state’s population to find which state searches the most for cybersecurity-related topics.
Mississippi is the state in which its residents searched for cybersecurity-related topics the least, averaging only 386.25 monthly searches per 100,000 residents.
“Data is one of the most valuable commodities in our interconnected world, and it pays dividends to keep it safe with proper cybersecurity practices,” commented a NinjaOne spokesperson on the study’s results. “Keeping abreast of what is happening in the world of cybersecurity can also provide crucial insights on cybersecurity best practices.”
NinjaOne's Top 10
1. Virginia
Virginia tops the list of states searching the most for cybersecurity-related topics, with an average of 654.78 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Overall, Virginians made an average of 56,858 monthly searches for cybersecurity-related topics.
Scams were the cybersecurity-related topic that took Virginians’ interest the most, with scams and related terms generating an average of 12,128 searches each month.
2. Maryland
Maryland is second, averaging 5.04 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Marylanders made an overall average of 38,532 monthly searches for cybersecurity-related topics.
A cybersecurity topic that ranked highly for Marylanders was phishing, with phishing and its related terms generating an average of 5,025 monthly searches overall.
3. Massachusetts
At third, Massachusetts averaged 586.7 monthly searches per 100,000 residents for an average of 40,963 monthly searches for cybersecurity-related topics.
Residents made an average of 12,245 monthly searches for antivirus software, firewalls, and related topics.
4. Georgia
Georgians averaged 576.6 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Georgians searched cybersecurity topics an average of 62,924 times monthly overall.
5. Florida
Florida averaged 576.56 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Floridians made an average of 128,254 monthly searches for cybersecurity-related topics overall.
6. New York
New Yorkers averaged 576.07 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. New Yorkers searched cybersecurity-related topics an average of 113,355 each month.
7. Colorado
Colorado averaged 575.85 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Residents made an average of 33,629 monthly searches for cybersecurity-related topics overall.
8. Kansas
Kansas averaged 575.84 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Kansans searched an average of 16,913 times each month for cybersecurity-related topics.
9. Washington
Washington averaged 572.7 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Residents made an overall average of 44,589 monthly searches for cybersecurity-related topics.
10. Hawaii
Hawaii averaged 572.55 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Residents made an average of 8,246 monthly searches overall for cybersecurity-related topics.
