Las Vegas ranked among 10 most malware-infested cities in US

The worm may be turning.

In your gadgets, that is.

Webroot, a Denver-based anti-virus software maker and threat intelligence services provider, this week listed Las Vegas eighth among the 10 most malware-infested cities in America. By its count, Las Vegas has an estimated 31,836 compromised devices, including personal computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Based on data from Webroot’s anti-phishing systems and threat intelligence services, Houston led all U.S. cities in malware infections, with 60,801 compromised devices, followed by Chicago (49,147 infected devices) and Phoenix (42,983 infected devices).

On average, Webroot said, each infected device has six to 24 pieces of malware installed.

“Our most infected cities list shows that cybercriminals have no geographical bias,” said David Dufour, senior director of engineering at Webroot. “Whether you live in a big city or small town, from East Coast to West Coast and everywhere in between, you are susceptible to being a victim of malware.”

To protect themselves, consumers can use cybersecurity software, ensure that software is up to date; avoid free public Wi-Fi; use a password; and store sensitive data in the cloud.

Contact Matthew Crowley at mcrowley@reviewjournal.com. Follow @copyjockey on Twitter.