(Tom Brewster, ITPro) Malware levels have reached new heights as the first six months of 2010 proved to be the most active for malicious file activity on record, McAfee has reported.

There were 10 million new pieces of malware logged in the first six months of this year, while 6 million were discovered in the second quarter alone.

Threats were most likely to emanate from portable storage devices like USBs, while fake anti-virus software was the second most popular choice among malicious file spreaders. Social media-specific malware was the third most common basis for attacks.