Malware, or malicious software, continues to be a formidable threat to cybersecurity landscapes worldwide. In 2025, we are witnessing an evolution in the complexity and stealth of malware attacks that makes them more challenging to detect and mitigate. Below are some of the primary types of malware posing significant threats this year:
Viruses and Worms
are some of the oldest types of malware but remain highly effective due to their evolving mechanisms. Viruses attach themselves to clean files and infect other clean files, which can spread uncontrollably, damaging the system’s core functionality and corrupting data. Worms, on the other hand, self-replicate without human intervention and typically exploit vulnerabilities within the system’s network. Recent variations have seen worms that can evade detection by mimicking benign network traffic.
Ransomware
According to the World Economic Forum, “Ransomware activity alone was up 50% year-on-year during the first half of 2023.” The year 2024 has also seen an intensification in ransomware attacks, where attackers encrypt a victim’s files and demand a ransom to restore access, usually demanding payment in cryptocurrencies for anonymity.
This year, the emergence of RaaS (Ransomware as a Service) has made it easier for criminals, regardless of their technical know-how, to launch ransomware attacks, leading to an increase in their frequency and sophistication.
Cryptojacking
Cryptojacking is a stealthy threat that remains under the radar but poses significant risks as it hijacks computer resources to mine cryptocurrency. Unlike other forms of malware, cryptojacking focuses on generating revenue without direct theft or data compromise, making it less noticeable but equally damaging in terms of resource utilization.
Fileless Malware
Fileless malware leverages scripts or loaded modules into the random access memory (RAM) without writing to the disk, making it difficult for traditional antivirus solutions to detect. This type of attack exploits existing, legitimate programs to execute malicious activities, often bypassing user and endpoint defenses