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Report: Number of unique malware families climbs 61% over first half of 2016

The number of unique malware families found actively attacking business networks grew 61 percent from January 2016 to June, with 2,420 distinct threats detected last month, according to Check Point Software Technologies' June Threat Index.

Check Point's latest numbers also revealed that the Conficker worm remains the most commonly used malware, accounting for 14 percent of recognized attacks in June. The Sality virus (10 percent) was second on the list and HummingBad, a malware that has already infected at least 85 million Android devices, was third (six percent). HummingBad was the most commonly used mobile malware, followed by Iop and XcodeGhost.

"The sustained, significant increase in the number of active malware families targeting business networks during the first half of 2016 highlights the escalating threat levels that organizations are currently facing," said Nathan Schuchami, head of threat prevention at Check Point, in a press release.

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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