Fredericton's Wi-Fi network has been rated one of the riskiest in the country when it comes to cybercrime.

Symantec, which produces Norton Anti-virus software, has ranked New Brunswick’s capital as sixth in its top 10 list of riskiest online cities.

That means Fredericton residents are more likely to have their passwords stolen or computers infected with malware than those in larger cities, such as Toronto and Edmonton.

One of the reasons is because Fredericton has the highest number of people per capita in the country using social networking.

The city also provides unsecured wireless internet access in the downtown area, dubbed the Fred-E-zone.

“We do have a culture of use of technology here in Fredericton,” said Maurice Gallant, the city’s chief information officer.

“Of course, the flip side is with using technologies, there are risks that we have to be careful of,” he said.

Andrea Meade, of PC Girls, said virus software doesn’t protect personal information while surfing online using Wi-Fi.

“With an unsecured network, it’s like having the front door of your house being opened and you're inviting everyone in,” she said.

Anything people do online — from logging onto their bank account to checking their email — could be transmitted to anyone monitoring the network, leaving them open to hacking, said Meade.

“My opinion is that they shouldn't be using it, but if they do use it, don't use your email, don't check your bank account. Anything that you have any security on, don't touch it," she said.

Highest risk doesn't mean highest infection

Fredericton has the highest number of people per capita in the country using social networking. (iStock)

Cities with the greatest risk factors do not necessarily correlate with the highest infection rates because many consumers are taking precautions to protect themselves, according to a news release from Symantec.

It offers three key safety tips:

• Proceed with caution when using Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Use complex and unique passwords for each site.
• Stay educated.

Symantec gathered the cybercrime data by monitoring the customers that use its own internet security software, Norton.

It combined that with data from research firm Sperling's BestPlaces on Wi-Fi hotspots, computer and internet expenditures and social networking use in each city.

The goal was to create a "subjective" ranking of cities that have the highest number of "potential risk factors for cybercrime," said a news release from Symantec.

"Wi-Fi hotspots, smartphones, tablets and social networking are all great tools," the release said. "Norton wants people to realize that the more connected we are, the more threat vectors exist for potential cybercrime."

The overall rankings considered cities to be riskier if they had:

• Higher rates of cybercrime in the form of web attacks, malware attempts, spamming IP addresses and bot attacks.
• A larger number of Wi-Fi hotspots per 100,000 residents.
• Higher annual household expenditures on computers, internet and smartphones.
• Higher rates of online shopping, email and banking.
• Higher rates of social networking use.