McAfee detects an average of 419 new cyber threats per minute in Q2

Cybersecurity company McAfee on Thursday said it saw an average of 419 new threats per minute as overall new malware samples grew by 11.5 per cent in the second quarter of this year.

The global impact of Covid-19 prompted cybercriminals to adjust their cybercrime campaigns to lure victims with pandemic themes and exploit the realities of a workforce working from home, said the “McAfee Threats Report: November 2020.”

Over the course of Q2, McAfee saw a 605 per cent increase in Covid-19-related attack detections compared to Q1.

A significant proliferation in malicious Donoff Microsoft Office documents attacks propelled new PowerShell malware increase 117 per cent, said the report.