Seattle, Boston, D.C. Named 'Riskiest' Online Cities

Seattle has the distinction of being the birthplace of grunge and housing the nation's first Starbucks, but it is now the U.S. city most vulnerable to cyber crime.

Symantec's Norton teamed up with research firm Sperling to rank the top 50 riskiest online cities, and Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C. topped that list.

The study looked for residents who engaged in behavior that could expose them to cyber crime, like online shopping and banking, as well as wireless Internet access. Researchers then looked at the number of cyber attacks and potential infections as recorded by Symantec Security Response, level of Internet access, how much people spent on hardware and software, wireless hotspots, and broadband connectivity.

"With more people than ever relying on the Internet to stay in touch, shop and pay their bills, feeling confident and secure in our information-driven world is vital," Marian Merritt, Norton Internet Safety Advocate, said in a statement. "This study highlights the cities most at risk of cyber crime and reminds individuals, families and businesses across the country of the hazards they face each time they go online."

In Seattle, home to many high-tech companies like Amazon, nearly 68 percent of residents are regular Internet users and almost 29 percent use the Web at least five times a day – figures that are 32.4 percent and 72.5 percent higher than the average American city, respectively.

Meanwhile, 26.7 percent of people in Seattle use the Internet to check their bank statements and pay bills, which is 46.5 percent higher than the average U.S. city. More than 19 percent of people also use the Web while on the road, while no other city even reached 17 percent.

There are approximately 103 Wi-Fi hotspots in Seattle. Only San Francisco, which ranked number four on the list, has more hotspots.

Boston earned the number two position because of its high levels of cyber crime, risky behavior, and Wi-Fi availability. The study found that the city is "beset by spam zombies." Boston has about 54 Wi-Fi hotspots per 100,000 residents, and almost 60 percent of residents use the Web every month, 50 percent have broadband connections, and 27 percent regularly buy things online.

Washington, D.C. residents are also fans of online shopping; 12.9 percent of people use e-commerce sites, 39.6 percent higher than the national average. The city has about 78 Wi-Fi hotspots per 100,000 residents, 22 percent of people use the Web at least five times a day, and our nation's capital is the city with the fourth highest level of spam zombies, malicious attacks, and potential infections – behind Atlanta, Miami, and Boston.

Rounding out the top five are San Francisco and Raleigh, N.C., both of which are also home to many a tech company.

Also noted were Atlanta, Minneapolis, Denver, Austin and Portland.

Detroit came in at the bottom of the list, but that's not necessarily a promising statistic. Residents were least likely to participate in risky online behavior, but that is because of the city's low levels of Internet access, expenditures on computer equipment, and wireless Internet access. El Paso, Texas and Memphis, Tenn. came in at number two and three as the least risky online cities.