The UK and the US have better defenses against cyberattacks than China, partly because they have better internal data-sharing practices, according to a McAfee report.

The top-ranked countries in cyber-defense were Israel, Sweden and Finland, according to the report,. These nations have dynamic defenses that help to isolate and contain the damage caused by cyberattacks, said the authors of Cyber Security: The Vexed Question of Global Rules, put together by the Brussels-based Security & Defence Agenda for McAfee.

The UK, the US, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Estonia and Denmark had similar abilities to repel attacks that were quite far in advance of countries such as China and Russia, according to the report. Mexico was the country least able to defend itself.

The report was based on the opinions of 80 cybersecurity experts, and on interviews with 250 ministers and IT specialists.

The private sector, especially companies that provide critical national infrastructure, should share data with each other and with government to improve a nation's resilience, the report's authors recommended.

Real-time global information sharing and financial incentives, rather than regulations, will improve computer security in the private sector, according to the report