Key Takeaways:

• Malware (malicious software) is any program or code designed to infiltrate, damage, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems. Attackers use malware to steal data, extort money, disrupt operations, spy on targets, or abuse system resources for their own gain.
• Targets of malware range from everyday individuals to large enterprises and governments. Everyone is a potential target, but attackers often pursue specific victims.
• Common types of malware include viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, spyware, adware, rootkits, and fileless malware. Each type infects systems in different ways but all pose serious security risks if not detected and blocked early.
• Preventing malware requires a multi-layered security approach: user education, timely patching of software, strong endpoint and network defenses, data backups, and threat intelligence.
• Recorded Future’s Threat Intelligence allows organizations to spot indicators of malware campaigns and block attacks before they execute, moving defense from reactive to proactive mode.

Malware is short for “malicious software.” It is an umbrella term that encompasses any hostile or intrusive software created with the intent to harm or exploit programmable devices or networks. Essentially, if a piece of software is intentionally doing something unwanted or harmful in your system—whether that’s corrupting files, spying on user activity, or extortion—it qualifies as malware.

Malware can come in many forms and can infect everything from personal devices to critical corporate servers. All malware ultimately has a malicious purpose, though the aims and objectives might vary. Some of the primary goals of malware include stealing sensitive information, extorting money, disrupting normal operations, conducting espionage, and exploiting system resources.

Who Are the Targets of Malware Attacks?

No one is immune from malware; it is a threat to everyone in today’s digital world. However, attackers often tailor their malware campaigns toward specific targets based on the value of the data or the ease of compromise.

Common targets include:

• Individuals: Tactics like phishing emails trick everyday users to unknowingly install malware that can then be used for malicious activities. Personal computers and laptops may also secretly be co-opted into botnets (networks of infected machines) in order to help attackers carry out further strikes.
• Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs): SMBs may lack robust cybersecurity defenses, making them “soft targets” for attackers using malware to compromise networks for financial gain or to steal customer data. SMBs can also be stepping stones in supply chain attacks, where infecting a smaller partner can lead to access to a larger company’s network.
• Large enterprises: Big companies are high-value targets for malware operators due to the vast amounts of sensitive data they may hold. Deep pockets also make them attractive for large-scale ransomware attacks and corporate espionage. Successful malware attacks can disrupt business operations, damage reputation, and incur substantial financial losses.
• Governments and critical infrastructure: Nation-state hackers and threat groups use malware to infiltrate government agencies, defense networks, and critical infrastructure systems. The main goals are often espionage, sabotage, or broader disruption, and threats range from sophisticated cyber espionage tools to destructive worms aiming to destabilize vital services.

The Most Common Types of Malware

Malware comes in many forms, each with different behaviors and objectives. Understanding the major types of malware is the first step to defending against them.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a victim’s files or entire system, then demands a ransom payment in exchange for the decryption key. Once ransomware infects a system, it quickly scrambles all important data, effectively holding it hostage. Ransomware attacks have surged in recent years—hitting businesses, hospitals, and even city governments—and can be extremely profitable for cybercriminals.

Trojan (or Trojan Horse)

A Trojan is malware that masquerades as legitimate software to trick users into executing it, typically relying on social engineering and deception. A Trojan program might look like a harmless application or email attachment but in reality conceals malicious code usually aimed at stealing data, creating a backdoor for remote access, or downloading additional malware into the system.

Spyware

Spyware is malware designed to secretly monitor and record the victim’s activities. Spyware can log your keystrokes to capture passwords, take periodic screenshots, track browsing habits and communications, or even activate microphones and webcams to eavesdrop. Data can then be used for identity theft, financial fraud, or corporate espionage.

Worms

Worms are self-contained malware programs that replicate themselves in order to spread to other computers. Worm infections can spread extremely rapidly in unprotected networks and, once inside, can cause damage ranging from clogging up network traffic to delivering payloads on every infected system.

Viruses

A virus is a classic type of malware that infects other files or programs by inserting its code into them. A virus typically requires a user to unwittingly execute an infected file, at which point the virus code activates and begins to self-replicate across other files on the same system or shared drives. Viruses can corrupt or delete data, degrade system performance, or otherwise interfere in operations.

Adware

Adware is software that automatically displays advertisements on a user’s device, usually in a disruptive manner. While some adware is merely annoying, it often goes hand-in-hand with more malicious behavior. Adware programs slow down system performance and may open the door for other malware infections. In some cases, adware can track browsing activity and personal data, blurring the line into spyware.

Rootkits

A rootkit is a collection of malicious tools that enable an attacker to gain and maintain administrative-level control over a system while remaining hidden. Rootkits often modify core system processes, allowing malware and attacker actions to remain undetected by security software. They are notoriously difficult to detect and remove.

Fileless Malware

Fileless malware operates entirely in memory (RAM) rather than writing malicious files to the hard drive. Because nothing foreign is being saved to the drive, traditional file-scanning antivirus tools often struggle to detect fileless malware. These attacks might exploit scripts and macros, use PowerShell or WMI to execute payloads in memory, or inject themselves into legitimate running processes.

How Does Malware Spread?

Attackers use numerous tactics for delivering malware to systems and users. Some of the most common methods include:

• Phishing emails: The single most prevalent path for malware infections is phishing. Attackers send emails that impersonate legitimate communications but contain malicious attachments or links.
• Unpatched software vulnerabilities: Many malware strains spread by exploiting known software vulnerabilities in operating systems, browsers, or common applications.
• Malicious downloads: Simply visiting a compromised or malicious website or downloading trojanized software can result in a “drive-by download,” where the site automatically attempts to install and run malware on the device by abusing browser flaws or plugin vulnerabilities.
• Infected removable media: Malware can spread through physical media like USB flash drives or external hard drives. This method is often used to breach isolated networks that aren’t connected to the internet.
• Malvertising: Malicious ads on legitimate sites can contain hidden code that redirects users to malware-laden sites or directly attempts to run malicious code on the visitor’s machine.

How to Prevent and Protect Against Malware

A layered security approach is essential to defending against malware. No single technique is foolproof, so organizations and individuals should combine multiple preventive measures.

Key components of malware protection include:

• User education and awareness: Train employees to recognize phishing attempts and guard against social engineering.
• Patch management: Keep all operating systems, applications, and browsers up-to-date.
• Endpoint security: Use and maintain modern antivirus and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions.
• Access control: Enforce the principle of least privilege and use multi-factor authentication (MFA) everywhere.
• Network security: Use firewalls to filter malicious traffic and segment networks.
• Data backups: Regularly back up critical data and run tests on restoring it.

Threat Intelligence Stops Malware Before It Executes

Traditional security tools, like antivirus and firewalls, are largely reactive, detecting malware only after an infection or malicious activity has occurred. In this era of fast-moving threats, organizations must be proactive to truly get ahead of threats. Real-time threat intelligence provides an early warning system and actionable insights that let security teams correlate signals and stop malware before it ever executes.

Recorded Future’s Threat Intelligence platform continuously collects and analyzes data from a broad range of sources to illuminate emerging malware threats. By leveraging this kind of proactive threat intelligence program, organizations can:

• Identify malware infrastructure: Recorded Future automatically collects and analyzes data from the broadest range of sources, identifying malware command-and-control (C2) servers, drop zones, and phishing domains as soon as they appear.
• Prioritize vulnerabilities: The Recorded Future Vulnerability Intelligence module connects specific types of malware (like ransomware) to the vulnerabilities they actively exploit.
• Automate defenses: Recorded Future’s high-fidelity intelligence integrates directly into an organization’s existing security stack (SIEM, SOAR, firewall, EDR), automating the process of blocking malicious IPs, domains, and file hashes associated with malware.

Don’t Just Detect Malware—Prevent It

Malware is constantly evolving, but with the right approach, defenses can evolve even faster. Stop relying on reactive measures and basic malware detection and response tools, and start building a truly proactive defense powered by real-time threat intelligence. Book a demo with Recorded Future today.