The daily average number of cyberattacks or suspected threats swelled to a record 1,692 in 2016, more than double the previous year's rate, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

In 2015, the daily average of attacks or threats detected by censors installed at internet access points nationwide by the NPA was 729.3. The agency started compiling the data in 2010.

The figure surged as home appliances and electronic devices became more interconnected via the internet of things.

Since malware is spreading overseas through attacks on company-owned devices used with the internet of things, the NPA is increasing the 24-hour monitoring of potential hacking or preparatory acts at its 59 relevant facilities.

As for email, the NPA said the number of messages found to contain a computer virus came to 4,046 in 2016 — the most since 2013 and up 5.7 percent from 2015.

There also were eight cases in which institutions — including Yamaguchi University, the University of Toyama and the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), the nation's most influential business lobby — were attacked, resulting in the potential data leaks.

The number of cybercrimes confirmed by police nationwide rose to a record 8,324, up 2.8 percent from the year before, while the number of cybercrime inquiries hit an all-time high of 131,518, up 2.7 percent from the previous year.