Cybercrime is on the rise at an unprecedented rate, according to a new McAfee report. McAfee notes new threats are so numerous that its labs recorded more than 200 new threats a minute, or more than three every second.

The report also concludes that the cybercrime industry was largely responsible for the Target credit card breach that resulted in the theft of over 100 million credit cards. The breach, unprecedented in scale, has resulted in heightened tension surrounding cybercrime and cybersecurity

"We believe these breaches will have long-lasting repercussions. We expect to see changes to security approaches and compliance mandates and, of course, lawsuits. But the big lesson is that we face a healthy and growing cybercrime industry which played a key role in enabling and monetizing the results of these attacks," reads the McAfee Labs Threats Report for the fourth quarter of 2013.

Sadly, cyberattacks like the ones launched on Target aren't so uncommon.

"The unfortunate reality is that we suffered a breach, and all businesses -- and their customers -- are facing increasingly sophisticated threats from cyber criminals," Target chief financial officer John J. Mulligan told a Senate Judiciary Committee in early February.

"In fact, recent news reports have indicated that several other companies have been subjected to similar attacks."

While cyberthreats are certainly an area of concern, policy makers are also interested in increasing transparency and communication during the discovery and aftermath of a cyberattack. Retailers, Washington insists, should disclose information concerning a security breach to the public in a more timely manner.

"Businesses should be required to provide prompt notice to consumers in the wake of a breach. American consumers should know when they are at risk of identify theft or other harms because of a data security breach," Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman told the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month.

"Never has the need for legislation been greater," Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Edith Ramirez said. "With reports of data breaches on the rise, and with a significant number of Americans suffering from identity theft, Congress needs to act.

In light of the increased need for a comprehensive cybersecurity plan, the White House recently released the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. The 39-page plan proposes guidelines for improving communication between big firms when a security breach is detected.

Mobile malware also jumped greatly in 2013. McAfee Labs was able to collect a "mobile malware zoo" containing 3.73 million samples by the end of 2013, up 197 percent from 2012.

North America was found to be the location of over 50 percent of servers hosting suspicious content. Europe and the Middle East came in second, and Australia third.