How to address the rapidly evolving threat landscape is the hot topic Tuesday at McAfee's Focus 2012 partner conference, where thousands of channel representatives from 70 countries are gathered this week.

McAfee co-president Michael DeCesare opened the conference with a discussion on a number of key drivers that are influencing the evolution of information security. Social media was at the top of his list.

"It is very much a part of today's workplace," he said. "And it's a hotbed for information-gathering efforts. There's enough personal information and lists of contacts to help the cyberworld figure out what will make us click on those [malicious] links."

[Related: McAfee Sees Biggest Malware Increase In Four Years]

DeCesare added that 96 percent of organizations have seen an increase in malware as a result of social media.

Other key inflection points identified by DeCesare included cloud computing, big data, the explosion in mobile applications and mobility itself.

"It's not about stealing the device anymore," he added. "It's about finding ways to access the information on those devices."

DeCesare was then joined by McAfee's recently appointed CTO Mike Fey, who detailed specifics around the threat landscape, including Flamer modules broken out into mini-Flame and specifically targeted man-in-the-middle attacks that can not only steal data but also destroy every file on the infected machine.

DeCesare also paid tribute to the 2011 acquisition of McAfee by Intel, indicating that the move has greatly increased the amount of resources that McAfee can now bring to bear in the form of product development and overall threat management.

In terms of forthcoming developments, the co-president identified secure containers and data center security enhancements as two technology segments on his radar. He also added that there is reason to be optimistic about the fight against expanding cybercrime, most notably enhanced public and private cooperation, increased law enforcement efforts and Congressional discussions around cyberlegislation, much of which is driven by realistic concerns regarding attacks on critical infrastructure.

McAfee's Focus 2012 continues through Thursday in Las Vegas.

PUBLISHED OCT. 23, 2012