1. In the first three quarters of 2023, there were an estimated 5.6 billion attempted malware attacks globally.
  2. Malware volumes in Q3 2023 rose by 5% compared to Q2 of the same year.
  3. 40% of global cyber incidents responded to by security firms in 2023 involved some form of malware.
  4. As of mid-2023, security researchers observed an average of 400,000 new malware variants daily.
  5. By 2025, cybercrime—including malware-driven attacks—could cost the global economy $10.5 trillion annually.
  6. Ransomware remains the single biggest malware threat, appearing in 27% of major cyber incidents so far in 2023.
  7. The average cost of a ransomware breach in 2023 surpassed $5 million, up from $4.6M in late 2022.
  8. IoT-based malware grew by 55% year-over-year in 2023, targeting smart devices and critical infrastructure.
  9. At least 63% of malware attacks in 2023 arrived via malicious email attachments or links.
  10. Polymorphic malware (which mutates its code) accounted for 18% of new strains identified in 2023.
  11. By late 2024, fileless attacks (relying on scripts or in-memory payloads) are projected to represent 70% of all serious malware incidents.
  12. The average dwell time (time from initial infection to detection) for malware in 2023 is 16 days, down from 21 days in 2022.
  13. As of Q3 2023, 85% of companies have encountered at least one malware-related security incident within 12 months.
  14. 83% of security professionals surveyed cite “rapid malware evolution” as a top challenge for 2024.
  15. Encrypted threats (malware hidden in SSL/TLS traffic) increased by 45% in the first half of 2023.
  16. Linux-focused malware saw a 28% jump in new strains targeting cloud servers in early 2023.
  17. Cryptojacking (stealth cryptocurrency mining) rose by 200% in the first half of 2023, linked to higher crypto market prices.
  18. In 2024, malware-as-a-service (MaaS) offerings on the dark web are expected to expand by 30%, fueling widespread commoditization.
  19. Up to 39% of mid-sized organizations have faced repeated malware infections after incomplete remediation in 2023.
  20. Human-operated ransomware groups are responsible for 62% of targeted malware attacks on enterprises in 2023.
  21. By Q4 2024, an estimated 86% of new malware will feature “evasion by design” to bypass traditional signature-based AV.
  22. Cyber insurers report 75% of their claim payouts in 2023 involve ransomware incidents.
  23. In Q2 2023, phishing-based malware distribution spiked by 32%, attributed to large-scale spam campaigns.
  24. The average monthly number of zero-day exploits used in malware campaigns in 2023 is 5.5, nearly double the 2.8 in early 2022.
  25. By 2025, experts predict 80% of mid-market companies will adopt some form of Extended Detection and Response (XDR) to tackle advanced malware.

Healthcare, Education, Finance, and Government Malware Stats

  1. Education was the most frequently attacked vertical in early 2023, with a 20% share of all reported malware incidents.
  2. 75% of K–12 schools surveyed in 2023 experienced at least one malware event that disrupted classes.
  3. In higher education, ransomware accounted for 33% of all detected malware infections in Q1 2023.
  4. Healthcare organizations reported a 12% rise in overall malware attacks in Q2 2023 vs. Q1.
  5. 89% of healthcare CISOs rank ransomware as their top threat heading into 2024.
  6. Finance & insurance saw a 66% spike in malware-driven breaches in the first half of 2023.
  7. Banking Trojans targeted 1 in 3 financial institutions in Q2 2023, focusing on credential theft.
  8. The government/public sector experienced a 16% surge in malware incidents from January to June 2023.
  9. 70% of state/local government respondents in a 2023 poll had encountered ransomware at least once that year.
  10. As of mid-2023, 62% of manufacturing firms reported at least one operational disruption due to malware.
  11. In critical infrastructure, ICS/SCADA-targeting malware rose 48% in the first half of 2023.
  12. Utilities (water, electricity, etc.) saw a 31% year-over-year increase in malware attacks in 2023.
  13. Retail suffered more weekend and holiday-targeted ransomware hits, with 22% occurring on major shopping dates.
  14. 54% of retailers in a mid-2023 survey had point-of-sale malware incidents in the past 12 months.
  15. Small businesses (<250 employees) accounted for 45% of reported malware incidents in Q2 2023.
  16. 37% of SMBs that experienced a malware attack in 2023 needed over a week to fully restore operations.
  17. The technology sector saw a 13% year-over-year rise in targeted malware attacks for intellectual property theft.
  18. 61% of law firms faced at least one malware-related breach in 2023, mainly from ransomware.
  19. Nonprofits and NGOs reported a 19% increase in malware campaigns in Q2 2023, often involving phishing lures.
  20. 62% of educational institutions lack a fully staffed cybersecurity team, exacerbating malware risks.
  21. 5 in 10 financial institutions plan to expand endpoint detection budgets by 2024 to tackle emerging malware threats.
  22. 85% of healthcare providers intend to deploy zero trust solutions by 2025 to reduce malware incidents.
  23. In the public sector, 45% of malware infections in 2023 originated from legacy systems lacking crucial patches.
  24. 11% of manufacturing organizations in a Q3 2023 poll had paid ransoms above $1 million to restore ICS operations.
  25. 23% of critical infrastructure attacks in 2023 involved malware specifically designed to disrupt physical processes.
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  1. Mobile malware accounted for 21% of total malware detections in H1 2023.
  2. The average enterprise blocks 2,500+ mobile threats per month, up 15% from late 2022.
  3. Android devices remain the prime target, seeing 92% of all mobile malware in 2023.
  4. iOS zero-click exploits (e.g., Pegasus-like spyware) were implicated in 3% of mobile infections studied in Q2 2023.
  5. Mobile phishing (smishing) soared by 36% in the first half of 2023.
  6. 6% of global Android devices faced at least one malware infection attempt in Q2 2023.
  7. The top mobile malware families in 2023 include SpyNote, XLoader, and FluBot.
  8. Mobile ransomware remains niche but rose 24% in Q1 2023, primarily hitting Android users.
  9. Banking trojans such as Anubis and Cerberus target over 380 financial apps on Google Play in 2023.
  10. Mobile cryptojacking detections jumped by 58% from Q4 2022 to Q1 2023.
  11. 35% of large enterprises experienced at least one data breach originating from a compromised mobile device in 2023.
  12. One in five organizations with BYOD policies has no mobile threat detection solution.
  13. 82% of employees admit to using work apps on personal devices that lack enterprise-managed security.
  14. Malvertising accounts for 12% of mobile malware entry points in 2023, often through in-app ads.
  15. Social media phishing on mobile doubled in early 2023, capitalizing on stolen sessions.
  16. Mobile ad fraud malware cost advertisers an estimated $1.6 billion worldwide in 2023.
  17. Rogue mobile profiles (configuration profiles installing malicious root certificates) grew 70% in 2023.
  18. SIM swap scams soared by 44% in mid-2023, giving attackers entry to 2FA-protected accounts.
  19. The education sector saw a 130% spike in mobile malware from January to May 2023, mostly from malicious e-learning apps.
  20. By 2025, mobile threats could comprise 30% of overall malware volume, fueled by smartphone ubiquity.

Emerging Threats & Future Outlook

  1. Fileless malware is predicted to rise 65% by the end of 2024, overtaking many file-based techniques.
  2. Living-off-the-land binaries are used in 79% of targeted attacks in 2023, reducing the need for typical malware files.
  3. Infostealer malware soared by 220% in 2023, driven by demand for stolen credentials on dark web markets.
  4. Credentials-based attacks became the top access vector in 2023, surpassing phishing by 6%.
  5. Double extortion ransomware (data theft + encryption) accounted for 81% of ransomware incidents in 2023.
  6. Triple extortion (adding DDoS or direct victim contact) jumped to 14% of ransomware cases in H1 2023.
  7. Data-only extortion (no encryption) rose 37% in 2023, pressuring victims with public data leaks.
  8. Deepfake scams increased by 2,500% in 2023, driven by generative AI improvements.
  9. AI-assisted malware is expected to compose 20% of new strains by 2025.
  10. Malware generator tools leveraging large language models started appearing for sale on dark web forums in Q2 2023.
  11. Nation-state actors are linked to 8% of malware campaigns identified in 2023, primarily for espionage.
  12. 74% of government IT leads worry about “wiper” malware as a geopolitical weapon in 2024–2025.
  13. Supply chain attacks jumped by 38% in the first half of 2023, often inserting backdoors into trusted software updates.
  14. MOVEit vulnerability exploitation in mid-2023 impacted over 2,000 organizations, exposing tens of millions of records.
  15. Zero-day exploits used for advanced malware in 2023 doubled compared to early 2022.
  16. Quantum-resistant encryption is predicted to reduce some future malware success, but adoption remains <10% by 2025.
  17. 69% of organizations plan to integrate AI-based anomaly detection by the end of 2024.
  18. 39% of security teams currently use advanced EDR/XDR with machine-learning models to spot unknown malware.
  19. 54% of companies experience difficulty detecting fileless attacks that exploit built-in OS tools.
  20. Cloud-targeting malware rose by 61% in 2023, especially among SaaS providers handling sensitive data.
  21. Credential-stuffing bots supported by new AI scripts resulted in 36% more successful intrusions in 2023.
  22. Virtual private servers used as C2 (command-and-control) hubs for malware increased by 42% in mid-2023.
  23. Dark web markets for stolen RDP/VPN credentials grew 28% from Q4 2022 to Q2 2023.
  24. Double encryption (encrypting the same data with two different ransomware payloads) was noted in 9% of cases in 2023.
  25. Insider-assisted malware incidents (where an internal user helps install malicious code) rose 11% in 2023.
  26. Malware wipers attributed to nation-state conflicts (e.g., in Eastern Europe) affected 5% of global companies indirectly in 2023.
  27. By 2025, an estimated 75% of global organizations will adopt a zero trust architecture to mitigate modern malware.
  28. Ransomware affiliate programs (RaaS) soared by 40% in 2023, enabling lower-skilled attackers to join.
  29. Biometric-bypass malware that spoofs fingerprint/face recognition is expected to reach the wild by late 2024.
  30. In Q3 2023, organizations faced an average of 1,920 cyberattacks per week, up 72% from Q3 2022—malware was implicated in the majority.
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The cyber threat landscape is never static – as defenders improve or new technologies emerge, attackers adapt with innovative strategies. In 2025, several emerging threats are gaining prominence, challenging traditional security approaches.

AI-Driven Malware and Deepfakes

The rise of generative AI tools (like advanced text and voice generators) has a dual impact on cybersecurity. On one hand, AI can help organizations detect anomalies; on the other, attackers are weaponizing AI to create more deceptive attacks. One alarming development is the use of deepfakes – artificially generated audio or video – in social engineering scams.

In 2023, there was a tenfold increase in deepfake fraud incidents compared to the year prior.​

Cases have emerged of criminals using AI to clone a CEO’s voice and then calling the finance department to request a fraudulent transfer. Nearly 85% of security professionals surveyed believe generative AI is contributing to a rise in cyber attacks.

These AI-crafted attacks can be harder to recognize; for example, an AI-generated phishing email contains perfect grammar and mimics an executive’s writing style, making it far more convincing (and thus more likely to succeed) than the old typo-laden spam.

We’ve also seen AI being used to generate polymorphic malware code that changes faster than security teams can respond. Looking ahead, we expect AI to be integrated into malware itself – malware that can adapt to its environment, choose actions on the fly, or even attempt to predict what defense evasion technique will work best, all thanks to AI algorithms.

This creates a pressing need for AI-powered defenses; indeed, new security solutions claim to use AI to detect threats with up to 300% more accuracy​ by spotting subtle patterns.

The arms race between AI attackers and AI defenders will be a defining feature of cybersecurity in the coming years.

Fileless and “Living off the Land” Attacks

Traditional malware often involves dropping malicious files on a system. However, a big trend is fileless malware, which executes in memory or uses legitimate system tools (a tactic called “Living off the Land”). We’ve reached a point where in many organizations, the most severe incidents involve fileless techniques – one security team reported 86% of critical incidents had fileless malware involved​.

Instead of saving an .exe on disk (which might be caught by antivirus), attackers use PowerShell scripts, WMI commands, or hijack trusted applications to carry out malicious actions. For instance, an attack might load a malicious script into memory via PowerShell that downloads data or encrypts files, without ever writing a malware executable to disk.

These methods make attacks harder to detect because they blend in with normal administrative activity. Tools like rundll32.exe or mshta.exe (legitimate Windows programs) are commonly abused – security researchers call them LOLBins (Living-off-the-land binaries)​.

The emergence of these techniques means security teams need to monitor behavior, not just look for known bad files. It also stresses the importance of things like endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions and threat hunting for anomalous usage of system tools.

We expect fileless attacks to continue growing, possibly combined with exploits of vulnerabilities in common software to directly execute code in memory. Organizations should invest in memory scanning and heuristic analysis to catch these stealthy intrusions.

Double-Extortion and Evolving Ransomware Tactics

Ransomware groups have innovated beyond just encryption. Double-extortion – where attackers both encrypt data and steal sensitive information to extort the victim – is now standard practice for most major ransomware operations​

In 2024, it was reported that over 80% of ransomware attacks involved data exfiltration in addition to encryption. This means even if a company can restore from backups, the attackers still have leverage by threatening to leak confidential data (customer info, intellectual property, etc.) on their dark web “leak sites.”

Some groups have taken it further to triple extortion, which might include launching DDoS attacks on the victim or contacting the victim’s clients and partners to ratchet up pressure.

A recent example is the Clop ransomware attack on the MOVEit file transfer software, which impacted hundreds of organizations and exposed the data of 60 million people; the attackers primarily used data theft (via a zero-day exploit in MOVEit) to extort victims en masse, with less emphasis on encryption.

Another tactic is to target backups and shadow copies right away to prevent recovery, ensuring the victim feels they have no choice but to pay. Interestingly, there’s data showing slightly fewer organizations are paying ransoms now (thanks to better preparation and law enforcement guidance), and some ransomware groups complain of lower profit.

In response, criminals are upping the ante on intimidation – leaking small bits of data as proof or auctioning stolen data to others. The ransomware scene is also becoming more professionalized, with groups offering customer service portals for victims to negotiate payment.

The outlook is that ransomware will continue to be a dominant threat but with tactics evolving, we may see more pure extortion (data theft without encryption), more attacks on cloud infrastructure and SaaS data (where traditional file encryption is less relevant), and possibly the use of wipers disguised as ransomware in geopolitical attacks (to inflict damage without the goal of payment).

Organizations should thus plan for incidents where data may be leaked and not just locked – incorporating strategies for data governance and communication in the event of sensitive data compromise.

Supply Chain and Third-Party Risk

Emerging threats are not only about new malware but also new ways of spreading malware. Supply chain attacks – where hackers compromise a trusted software or service to distribute malware to many downstream victims – are a major concern. The SolarWinds incident of 2020 was a wake-up call, and since then, we have seen similar strategies.

In 2023, for example, attackers breached software like 3CX and MOVEit (a file transfer tool) to implant malware updates that affected thousands of customers. The MOVEit breach alone hit over 2,000 organizations globally​

Government agencies warn that supply chain attacks are on the rise, and they can be extremely damaging because they undermine trust in the software ecosystem. Another dimension of this is open-source vulnerabilities – malware authors are quick to exploit vulnerabilities in widely used libraries (like Log4j in late 2021, which saw exploitation continue into 2022).

As companies increasingly rely on third-party code and cloud services, the risk extends beyond one’s own perimeter. We expect threat actors to invest more in finding that “weakest link” in the chain – whether it’s a small vendor with poor security or a popular open-source component – to magnify their reach.

Mitigating this requires better supply chain security practices, such as verifying software integrity (using signatures, SBOMs), monitoring for abnormal behaviors even in trusted software, and collaborating across industries to share threat intelligence on supply chain compromises.

Nation-State Grade Malware & Cyber Warfare

Nation-states' usage of malware is an ever-present undercurrent in the threat landscape. While financially motivated cybercrime accounts for the vast majority of incidents, state-sponsored malware can have outsized impacts.

The past year has continued to see state actors employing malware for espionage and sabotage. For example, in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, dozens of new malware variants (wipers, backdoors, etc.) were deployed as part of cyber warfare campaigns​.

One striking statistic: Ukraine saw a 5,835% increase in ransomware attacks in 2022 during the war​, much of it attributed to Russia-based groups either as direct actors or proxies.

Elsewhere, North Korea’s state hackers continued using malware to steal cryptocurrency to fund their regime, and Chinese-linked groups were caught infiltrating telecom and tech firms via malware for espionage.

An emerging worry is malware targeting critical infrastructure (e.g., power grids, pipelines) possibly laying dormant until activated in a conflict – akin to how the 2015 Ukrainian power grid malware caused blackouts.

Governments are actively improving their cyber defenses and even establishing “offensive cybersecurity” units to deter such attacks. There’s also greater public-private cooperation, with agencies like CISA issuing alerts about specific threats (for instance, about state-sponsored exploitation of firewall devices or domain controllers).

For businesses, even if they are not direct targets of nation-state actors, they can become collateral damage (as seen in the NotPetya outbreak in 2017, a state-deployed wiper that masqueraded as ransomware and hit companies worldwide).

Thus, the continuing development of advanced persistent threats (APTs) and nation-state malware means that high-end security measures (like network segmentation, anomaly detection, and rigorous incident response plans) are now relevant not just to governments but also to the private sector.

AI-Powered Defense

In response to all these emerging threats, the cybersecurity industry and governments are pushing forward defensive innovations.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are being embedded into security tools to detect patterns humans might miss – for example, identifying deepfake audio by spectral analysis, or catching fileless attack behavior by sequence analysis.

Many organizations are moving toward a zero trust security model, which assumes breach and limits access even if malware gets inside, to prevent it from moving laterally. Legislation and regulations are also emerging as a tool, with laws requiring critical infrastructure companies to report incidents promptly and to adhere to minimum cybersecurity standards.

Insurers, too, are pressuring clients (through cybersecurity insurance requirements) to maintain good practices, which indirectly forces improved defenses against things like ransomware.

We’re also seeing a trend of “security by design” in software development to reduce vulnerabilities that malware exploits. On the user side, there’s a growing emphasis on security awareness training, since social engineering is often how malware initially gains a foothold.

Future Outlook: What's in Store for Malware in 2025?

Considering current trends, we can anticipate that malware will continue to diversify. We may soon see malware that uses AI to dynamically alter its strategies, more attacks on cloud infrastructure and managed service providers, and possibly a blend of physical and cyber attacks (for example, hacking IoT devices to cause real-world damage).

Quantum computing is on the horizon, which in the future could both threaten certain cryptographic protections and offer new defensive capabilities. For the near term, the human element remains crucial: many successful attacks still boil down to someone being tricked or a known patch not being applied.

Therefore, while cutting-edge threats grab attention, fundamentals like regular updating of systems, robust backup practices, network monitoring, and incident response drilling will continue to be the bedrock of defending against malware in 2025.

The landscape is indeed daunting – with malware-as-a-service, AI-enhanced phishing, and nation-state hackers all in play – but understanding these trends is the first step in building resilience against the next wave of cyber threats.

With concerted efforts from the cybersecurity community and organizations worldwide, there is hope to curb the impact of these emerging malware threats even as we brace for new ones on the horizon.

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Is your organization preparing its defences for more malware attacks in the future? Learn how Control D helps fit into your overall security strategy.

Research Cited:


1. Cybersecurity Ventures

  • Cybercrime Damage Costs & Forecasts
    Website: https://cybersecurityventures.com
    • Known for “Cybersecurity Almanac,” “Cybercrime Magazine,” and annual ransomware projections (e.g., “Cyberwarfare in the C-Suite” reports).

2. AV-TEST

3. SonicWall Cyber Threat Reports

4. Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR)

5. IBM Security / IBM Security X-Force

6. Sophos State of Ransomware Reports

7. Check Point Research

  • Weekly/Quarterly Threat Intelligence
    Website: https://research.checkpoint.com/
    • Regularly updated stats on how many attacks organizations experience per week, breakdowns by region/industry, and notable malware families.

8. Kaspersky Security Bulletins & ICS CERT

9. ENISA (European Union Agency for Cybersecurity)

10. Zimperium

  • Mobile Threat Reports
    Website: https://www.zimperium.com/
    • Publishes periodic research on Android/iOS malware, mobile phishing, and enterprise mobile security.

11. Zscaler Cloud Security Insights

12. CrowdStrike Global Threat Reports

13. Mandiant (now part of Google Cloud)

14. Microsoft Security Reports

  • Microsoft Digital Defense Reports & Security Intelligence
    Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security
    • Often references stats on credential theft, cloud security, ransomware, and emerging Windows threats.

15. ESET Threat Reports

16. Ponemon Institute

  • Research on Fileless Malware, Cost of Infections
    Website: https://www.ponemon.org/
    • Known for studies around the economics of cyber breaches, success rates of advanced malware, etc.

17. Proofpoint Threat Reports

18. Chainalysis

  • Cryptocurrency Crime Reports
    Website: https://blog.chainalysis.com/
    • Often cited for ransomware payment flows, crypto-jacking, and geographic distribution of illicit cryptocurrency transactions.

19. Deloitte & Gartner Analyses

20. Miscellaneous Industry & Government Resources