Spam levels are on the rise, and the presence of the social media worm “Koobface” has tripled in the last quarter.

However, according to the McAfee Threats Report: First Quarter 2013, the increase in the number and sophistication of targeted advanced persistent threats (APTs) represents the most notable evolution in the threat landscape, as information becomes as valuable as cash in cybercrime. The report found a 30-percent increase in MBR (master boot record)-related malware and new instances of password-stealing Trojans being repurposed to steal information on individuals and organizations outside of the financial services industry.

Other notable findings include:

• First increase in global spam volume in more than three years.
• The number of suspicious URLs has increased 12 percent as cyber criminals move away from botnets as the primary distribution mechanism for malware.
• Android malware increased by 40 percent over the first quarter.
• New PC malware samples increased 28 percent, adding 14 million new samples to McAfee’s malware “zoo.”