The number of new malware threats being detected has doubled compared to last quarter, according to McAfee's latest threat report.

The firm's latest research states that their systems detected 478 new cyber threats every minute - equivalent to eight new threats every second.

The report also says that ransomware is losing its popularity. The latest trend revolves around stealing other people's cryptocurrency wallets.

And finally, the report takes a closer look at the healthcare industry, which has been under increasing attacks and the situation is all but peachy – the company observed a 211 per cent surge in disclosed security incidents against the healthcare industry. Many incidents are caused by organisational failure to comply with security best practices or address known vulnerabilities in medical software.

“The 18 per cent rise in security incidents across Europe during Q4 is worrying, but we know not all incidents are reported. This will change when the GDPR comes into force in May, when non-compliance could lead to negative brand impact that could easily be more costly than fines from the regulators,” commented Nigel Hawthorn, data privacy expert, McAfee’s cloud security business unit.

“Our research reveals a 211 per cent surge in disclosed security incidents against the healthcare industry last quarter. Healthcare organisations are a valuable target for cybercriminals who have set aside ethics in favour of profits, as they hold some very valuable personal data. Many incidents were caused by organisational failure to comply with security best practice or address known vulnerabilities in medical software.”

“Given the complex requirements of the GDPR and its governance on where data goes, how it is shared and who can access it, businesses need to be prepared to take a holistic approach to GDPR compliance. Businesses must confidently understand GDPR compliance gaps and implement necessary controls to address them across all cloud services – including services like Office 365, Box, Salesforce and Slack, as well as custom applications running in public infrastructure-as-a-service platforms.”

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