GITNUXREPORT 2026

Malware Statistics

Malware remains a massive and costly global threat despite slight declines.

Rajesh Patel

Rajesh Patel

Team Lead & Senior Researcher with over 15 years of experience in market research and data analytics.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

EDR tools detected 92% of known malware in tests during 2023 per AV-Comparatives.

Statistic 2

Behavioral analysis blocked 85% of zero-day malware in 2023 per CrowdStrike.

Statistic 3

Endpoint protection platforms had 99.5% malware detection rates in 2023 MITRE tests.

Statistic 4

SIEM systems identified 78% of malware intrusions within 24 hours in 2023 per Ponemon.

Statistic 5

MFA reduced malware success by 99.9% in credential theft scenarios 2023 per Microsoft.

Statistic 6

AI-based sandboxes detected 95% of ransomware in 2023 per NSS Labs.

Statistic 7

Patch management prevented 67% of exploit-based malware in 2023 per NIST.

Statistic 8

EDR adoption rate reached 65% in enterprises, cutting dwell time to 11 days in 2023 per Mandiant.

Statistic 9

Zero-trust architecture blocked 88% lateral movement by malware in 2023 per Forrester.

Statistic 10

Cloud security gateways stopped 70 billion malware threats in 2023 per Zscaler.

Statistic 11

Incident response teams contained 82% of malware within 72 hours in 2023 per SANS.

Statistic 12

Deception tech like honeypots detected 40% more malware probes in 2023 per Attivo Networks.

Statistic 13

Vulnerability scanners identified 90% of malware entry points pre-exploit in 2023 per Qualys.

Statistic 14

Backup solutions restored systems in 55% of ransomware cases without paying in 2023 per Coveware.

Statistic 15

Threat hunting teams found 50% hidden malware in networks 2023 per Gartner.

Statistic 16

Email gateways filtered 99% of malicious attachments in 2023 per Mimecast.

Statistic 17

Network segmentation limited malware spread to 20% of assets in 2023 per Cisco.

Statistic 18

UEBA tools flagged 75% anomalous malware behavior in 2023 per Exabeam.

Statistic 19

Mobile MDM blocked 95% of Android malware in enterprise fleets 2023 per Lookout.

Statistic 20

XDR platforms reduced alert fatigue by 90% for malware detection in 2023 per IDC.

Statistic 21

Malware dwell time averaged 21 days globally but 8 days with EDR in 2023 per Expel.

Statistic 22

SOC automation contained 65% malware incidents autonomously in 2023 per Splunk.

Statistic 23

Browser isolation prevented 100% of drive-by download malware in 2023 per Ericom.

Statistic 24

DLP systems caught 80% data exfiltration post-malware infection 2023 per Forcepoint.

Statistic 25

Global ransomware payments totaled $1.1 billion in 2023 per Chainalysis.

Statistic 26

Average ransomware recovery cost reached $4.45 million per breach in 2023 per Sophos.

Statistic 27

Malware-related downtime cost businesses $1.82 million on average in 2023 per IBM.

Statistic 28

Cybercrime, driven by malware, generated $8 trillion in damages globally in 2023 per Cybersecurity Ventures.

Statistic 29

US healthcare malware attacks cost $6.1 billion in 2023 per Ponemon Institute.

Statistic 30

LockBit ransomware extorted $91 million from victims in 2023 per Cyble.

Statistic 31

Malware stole $3.7 billion in crypto via infostealers in 2023 per Immunefi.

Statistic 32

Average cost of malware breach for enterprises was $4.88 million in 2023 per Ponemon.

Statistic 33

Phishing malware led to $52 billion in losses worldwide in 2023 per FBI IC3.

Statistic 34

DDoS malware attacks caused $2.9 billion in mitigation costs in 2023 per Akamai.

Statistic 35

Banking trojans drained $1.2 billion from accounts in 2023 per Group-IB.

Statistic 36

Supply chain malware incidents cost $25 million per event on average in 2023 per Gartner.

Statistic 37

Ransomware hit 66% of organizations, averaging $1.54 million recovery in 2023 per Veeam.

Statistic 38

Malware in retail sector caused $3.4 billion losses in 2023 per NRF.

Statistic 39

Crypto-jacking malware revenue hit $1.8 billion for attackers in 2023 per Recorded Future.

Statistic 40

Insurance premiums for cyber malware coverage rose 25% to $12 billion market in 2023 per McKinsey.

Statistic 41

Small businesses lost $2.98 million average to ransomware malware in 2023 per Hiscox.

Statistic 42

Malware-driven BEC scams totaled $2.9 billion losses in 2023 per FBI.

Statistic 43

Energy sector malware attacks cost $4.5 billion in disruptions 2023 per Wood Mackenzie.

Statistic 44

Global GDP impact from malware estimated at 0.8% or $7 trillion in 2023 per IMF.

Statistic 45

Malware predictions for 2024 forecast 15% rise in AI-generated variants per Gartner.

Statistic 46

Ransomware-as-a-Service expected to double affiliates to 300 by 2025 per Chainalysis.

Statistic 47

Mobile malware to comprise 50% of threats by 2025 per Juniper Research.

Statistic 48

IoT botnets projected to control 5 billion devices by 2025 per SonicWall.

Statistic 49

Fileless attacks to rise 50% annually through 2027 per Forrester.

Statistic 50

Supply chain malware incidents to increase 25% yearly to 2025 per NIST.

Statistic 51

Quantum-resistant malware defenses needed by 2030 per NSA.

Statistic 52

AI-powered malware evasion to succeed against 30% of AV by 2025 per Symantec.

Statistic 53

Cryptojacking to generate $5 billion annually by 2027 per IDC.

Statistic 54

Zero-day exploits in malware to cost $100k+ each by 2025 per Zerodium.

Statistic 55

Edge computing malware threats to grow 300% by 2025 per Palo Alto.

Statistic 56

Deepfake malware for phishing to rise 900% by 2026 per Home Security Heroes.

Statistic 57

5G networks to amplify malware spread by 40% by 2025 per GSMA.

Statistic 58

OT/ICS malware attacks to double every year through 2025 per Dragos.

Statistic 59

Cloud-native malware to target 75% of workloads by 2025 per Prisma Cloud.

Statistic 60

Ransomware payments projected to hit $20 billion by 2027 per Cybersecurity Ventures.

Statistic 61

In 2023, cybersecurity firm AV-TEST identified 7.34 million new malware samples, averaging 20,000 per day.

Statistic 62

Kaspersky reported 399 million unique malware attacks targeting users in 2023, a 2% decrease from 2022.

Statistic 63

Statista data shows that ransomware attacks worldwide reached 493 million in 2022, up 93% from 2021.

Statistic 64

SonicWall's 2024 Cyber Threat Report noted 2.8 billion malware attacks in 2023, a 22% increase year-over-year.

Statistic 65

Check Point Research found that malware was involved in 27% of cybersecurity incidents in organizations globally during 2023.

Statistic 66

Malwarebytes detected 5.5 billion pieces of malware in 2023, with adware comprising 70% of threats.

Statistic 67

According to Proofpoint, 96% of malware is delivered via email in phishing campaigns as of 2023.

Statistic 68

CrowdStrike's 2024 Global Threat Report indicated 1 in 10 organizations faced malware intrusions in 2023.

Statistic 69

IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023 stated malware caused 16% of breaches.

Statistic 70

Fortinet reported 1.5 million new malware variants daily in Q4 2023.

Statistic 71

Trend Micro blocked 87.5 billion malware threats in 2023 across its network.

Statistic 72

McAfee detected over 1.2 million new Android malware samples in 2023.

Statistic 73

ESET identified 2.1 million new malware detections in the first half of 2023.

Statistic 74

Sophos reported that 59% of organizations suffered malware attacks in 2023.

Statistic 75

Palo Alto Networks saw a 75% rise in malware volume in 2023.

Statistic 76

In 2023, the US experienced 46% of global malware attacks per Recorded Future.

Statistic 77

Group-IB noted 1,234 ransomware groups active in 2023 targeting enterprises.

Statistic 78

Zscaler blocked 15 billion malware-related threats in 2023.

Statistic 79

FireEye (Mandiant) reported malware in 32% of investigated incidents in 2023.

Statistic 80

Cisco Talos saw 300 million unique malware files in 2023.

Statistic 81

Bitdefender detected 400 million ransomware attacks in 2023.

Statistic 82

WatchGuard blocked 1.8 billion malware instances in 2023.

Statistic 83

F-Secure reported 20% of consumers hit by malware in 2023 surveys.

Statistic 84

Malware incidents in healthcare rose 30% to 250 cases in 2023 per HHS.

Statistic 85

EU saw 25% increase in malware targeting banks in 2023 per Europol.

Statistic 86

Asia-Pacific region accounted for 35% of global malware in 2023 per Interpol.

Statistic 87

Latin America had 18% malware attack growth in 2023 per OAS.

Statistic 88

Africa experienced 40% rise in mobile malware in 2023 per GSMA.

Statistic 89

Middle East malware attacks up 55% in 2023 per Darktrace.

Statistic 90

UK organizations faced 2,200 malware attacks weekly in 2023 per NCSC.

Statistic 91

Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) kits numbered over 150 active in 2023 per Chainalysis.

Statistic 92

Emotet malware evolved into 50 new variants post-2021 takedown by 2023.

Statistic 93

LockBit ransomware claimed 2,200 victims publicly in 2023.

Statistic 94

Android banking trojans like SharkBot stole credentials from 1.3 million devices in 2023.

Statistic 95

Fileless malware attacks increased by 265% from 2020 to 2023 per Malwarebytes.

Statistic 96

Polymorphic malware variants reached 90% of all samples in 2023 per Kaspersky.

Statistic 97

Crypto-jacking malware mined $2.5 billion in illicit crypto in 2023 per CipherTrace.

Statistic 98

Supply chain attacks using malware hit 61% of organizations in 2023 per ENISA.

Statistic 99

Wiper malware like NotPetya variants resurfaced in 15 incidents in 2023 per Mandiant.

Statistic 100

IoT malware infections grew to 1.5 billion devices targeted in 2023 per SonicWall.

Statistic 101

Spyware such as Pegasus infected 500 high-profile targets in 2023 per Amnesty International.

Statistic 102

Downloader trojans facilitated 40% of secondary infections in 2023 per Trend Micro.

Statistic 103

RATs (Remote Access Trojans) used in 25% of APT campaigns in 2023 per CrowdStrike.

Statistic 104

Worm malware like WannaCry still active, infecting 10,000 systems monthly in 2023 per Microsoft.

Statistic 105

Keyloggers captured 2 million credentials daily via malware in 2023 per Proofpoint.

Statistic 106

Adware bundles with malware affected 80% of free Android apps in 2023 per AV-TEST.

Statistic 107

Rootkits evaded detection in 15% of enterprise malware in 2023 per Symantec.

Statistic 108

Dropper malware delivered payloads in 35% of attacks in 2023 per ESET.

Statistic 109

Exploit kits like RIG exploited vulnerabilities in 20,000 attacks in 2023 per Group-IB.

Statistic 110

Botnets powered by Mirai variants controlled 2 million IoT devices in 2023 per Shadowserver.

Statistic 111

Logic bombs in malware activated in 5% of insider threats in 2023 per Verizon DBIR.

Statistic 112

Hybrid malware combining ransomware and wipers seen in 12 campaigns in 2023 per FireEye.

Statistic 113

SMS phishing malware (smishing) rose 300% in mobile attacks in 2023 per Zimperium.

Statistic 114

Clipboard hijackers in malware stole $500 million in crypto in 2023 per Kaspersky.

Sources
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Picture this: a digital pandemic unleashed 20,000 new strains of malicious code every single day last year, and as we sift through the staggering statistics—from ransomware rocketing to billions stolen by crypto-jacking malware—it’s clear that no user, device, or industry is safe from the relentless evolution of this global threat.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2023, cybersecurity firm AV-TEST identified 7.34 million new malware samples, averaging 20,000 per day.
  • Kaspersky reported 399 million unique malware attacks targeting users in 2023, a 2% decrease from 2022.
  • Statista data shows that ransomware attacks worldwide reached 493 million in 2022, up 93% from 2021.
  • Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) kits numbered over 150 active in 2023 per Chainalysis.
  • Emotet malware evolved into 50 new variants post-2021 takedown by 2023.
  • LockBit ransomware claimed 2,200 victims publicly in 2023.
  • Global ransomware payments totaled $1.1 billion in 2023 per Chainalysis.
  • Average ransomware recovery cost reached $4.45 million per breach in 2023 per Sophos.
  • Malware-related downtime cost businesses $1.82 million on average in 2023 per IBM.
  • EDR tools detected 92% of known malware in tests during 2023 per AV-Comparatives.
  • Behavioral analysis blocked 85% of zero-day malware in 2023 per CrowdStrike.
  • Endpoint protection platforms had 99.5% malware detection rates in 2023 MITRE tests.
  • Malware predictions for 2024 forecast 15% rise in AI-generated variants per Gartner.
  • Ransomware-as-a-Service expected to double affiliates to 300 by 2025 per Chainalysis.
  • Mobile malware to comprise 50% of threats by 2025 per Juniper Research.

Malware remains a massive and costly global threat despite slight declines.

Detection, Mitigation, and Response

  • EDR tools detected 92% of known malware in tests during 2023 per AV-Comparatives.
  • Behavioral analysis blocked 85% of zero-day malware in 2023 per CrowdStrike.
  • Endpoint protection platforms had 99.5% malware detection rates in 2023 MITRE tests.
  • SIEM systems identified 78% of malware intrusions within 24 hours in 2023 per Ponemon.
  • MFA reduced malware success by 99.9% in credential theft scenarios 2023 per Microsoft.
  • AI-based sandboxes detected 95% of ransomware in 2023 per NSS Labs.
  • Patch management prevented 67% of exploit-based malware in 2023 per NIST.
  • EDR adoption rate reached 65% in enterprises, cutting dwell time to 11 days in 2023 per Mandiant.
  • Zero-trust architecture blocked 88% lateral movement by malware in 2023 per Forrester.
  • Cloud security gateways stopped 70 billion malware threats in 2023 per Zscaler.
  • Incident response teams contained 82% of malware within 72 hours in 2023 per SANS.
  • Deception tech like honeypots detected 40% more malware probes in 2023 per Attivo Networks.
  • Vulnerability scanners identified 90% of malware entry points pre-exploit in 2023 per Qualys.
  • Backup solutions restored systems in 55% of ransomware cases without paying in 2023 per Coveware.
  • Threat hunting teams found 50% hidden malware in networks 2023 per Gartner.
  • Email gateways filtered 99% of malicious attachments in 2023 per Mimecast.
  • Network segmentation limited malware spread to 20% of assets in 2023 per Cisco.
  • UEBA tools flagged 75% anomalous malware behavior in 2023 per Exabeam.
  • Mobile MDM blocked 95% of Android malware in enterprise fleets 2023 per Lookout.
  • XDR platforms reduced alert fatigue by 90% for malware detection in 2023 per IDC.
  • Malware dwell time averaged 21 days globally but 8 days with EDR in 2023 per Expel.
  • SOC automation contained 65% malware incidents autonomously in 2023 per Splunk.
  • Browser isolation prevented 100% of drive-by download malware in 2023 per Ericom.
  • DLP systems caught 80% data exfiltration post-malware infection 2023 per Forcepoint.

Detection, Mitigation, and Response Interpretation

While our cybersecurity toolbox is impressively stocked, the digital fortress remains a constant construction site where the blueprints are redrawn by the enemy every single day.

Financial and Economic Impact

  • Global ransomware payments totaled $1.1 billion in 2023 per Chainalysis.
  • Average ransomware recovery cost reached $4.45 million per breach in 2023 per Sophos.
  • Malware-related downtime cost businesses $1.82 million on average in 2023 per IBM.
  • Cybercrime, driven by malware, generated $8 trillion in damages globally in 2023 per Cybersecurity Ventures.
  • US healthcare malware attacks cost $6.1 billion in 2023 per Ponemon Institute.
  • LockBit ransomware extorted $91 million from victims in 2023 per Cyble.
  • Malware stole $3.7 billion in crypto via infostealers in 2023 per Immunefi.
  • Average cost of malware breach for enterprises was $4.88 million in 2023 per Ponemon.
  • Phishing malware led to $52 billion in losses worldwide in 2023 per FBI IC3.
  • DDoS malware attacks caused $2.9 billion in mitigation costs in 2023 per Akamai.
  • Banking trojans drained $1.2 billion from accounts in 2023 per Group-IB.
  • Supply chain malware incidents cost $25 million per event on average in 2023 per Gartner.
  • Ransomware hit 66% of organizations, averaging $1.54 million recovery in 2023 per Veeam.
  • Malware in retail sector caused $3.4 billion losses in 2023 per NRF.
  • Crypto-jacking malware revenue hit $1.8 billion for attackers in 2023 per Recorded Future.
  • Insurance premiums for cyber malware coverage rose 25% to $12 billion market in 2023 per McKinsey.
  • Small businesses lost $2.98 million average to ransomware malware in 2023 per Hiscox.
  • Malware-driven BEC scams totaled $2.9 billion losses in 2023 per FBI.
  • Energy sector malware attacks cost $4.5 billion in disruptions 2023 per Wood Mackenzie.
  • Global GDP impact from malware estimated at 0.8% or $7 trillion in 2023 per IMF.

Financial and Economic Impact Interpretation

The staggering, multi-trillion-dollar toll of malware reveals that cybercrime has evolved from a digital nuisance into a shockingly profitable global industry where our collective security is now someone else's lucrative business model.

Future Trends and Predictions

  • Malware predictions for 2024 forecast 15% rise in AI-generated variants per Gartner.
  • Ransomware-as-a-Service expected to double affiliates to 300 by 2025 per Chainalysis.
  • Mobile malware to comprise 50% of threats by 2025 per Juniper Research.
  • IoT botnets projected to control 5 billion devices by 2025 per SonicWall.
  • Fileless attacks to rise 50% annually through 2027 per Forrester.
  • Supply chain malware incidents to increase 25% yearly to 2025 per NIST.
  • Quantum-resistant malware defenses needed by 2030 per NSA.
  • AI-powered malware evasion to succeed against 30% of AV by 2025 per Symantec.
  • Cryptojacking to generate $5 billion annually by 2027 per IDC.
  • Zero-day exploits in malware to cost $100k+ each by 2025 per Zerodium.
  • Edge computing malware threats to grow 300% by 2025 per Palo Alto.
  • Deepfake malware for phishing to rise 900% by 2026 per Home Security Heroes.
  • 5G networks to amplify malware spread by 40% by 2025 per GSMA.
  • OT/ICS malware attacks to double every year through 2025 per Dragos.
  • Cloud-native malware to target 75% of workloads by 2025 per Prisma Cloud.
  • Ransomware payments projected to hit $20 billion by 2027 per Cybersecurity Ventures.

Future Trends and Predictions Interpretation

Our digital future looks like a heist movie where the AI-powered thieves are doubling their crew, arming half the threats from our pockets, and quietly renting out five billion smart toasters to mine enough crypto to buy a small country before any of our current security guards even notice the lights are flickering.

Prevalence and Distribution

  • In 2023, cybersecurity firm AV-TEST identified 7.34 million new malware samples, averaging 20,000 per day.
  • Kaspersky reported 399 million unique malware attacks targeting users in 2023, a 2% decrease from 2022.
  • Statista data shows that ransomware attacks worldwide reached 493 million in 2022, up 93% from 2021.
  • SonicWall's 2024 Cyber Threat Report noted 2.8 billion malware attacks in 2023, a 22% increase year-over-year.
  • Check Point Research found that malware was involved in 27% of cybersecurity incidents in organizations globally during 2023.
  • Malwarebytes detected 5.5 billion pieces of malware in 2023, with adware comprising 70% of threats.
  • According to Proofpoint, 96% of malware is delivered via email in phishing campaigns as of 2023.
  • CrowdStrike's 2024 Global Threat Report indicated 1 in 10 organizations faced malware intrusions in 2023.
  • IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023 stated malware caused 16% of breaches.
  • Fortinet reported 1.5 million new malware variants daily in Q4 2023.
  • Trend Micro blocked 87.5 billion malware threats in 2023 across its network.
  • McAfee detected over 1.2 million new Android malware samples in 2023.
  • ESET identified 2.1 million new malware detections in the first half of 2023.
  • Sophos reported that 59% of organizations suffered malware attacks in 2023.
  • Palo Alto Networks saw a 75% rise in malware volume in 2023.
  • In 2023, the US experienced 46% of global malware attacks per Recorded Future.
  • Group-IB noted 1,234 ransomware groups active in 2023 targeting enterprises.
  • Zscaler blocked 15 billion malware-related threats in 2023.
  • FireEye (Mandiant) reported malware in 32% of investigated incidents in 2023.
  • Cisco Talos saw 300 million unique malware files in 2023.
  • Bitdefender detected 400 million ransomware attacks in 2023.
  • WatchGuard blocked 1.8 billion malware instances in 2023.
  • F-Secure reported 20% of consumers hit by malware in 2023 surveys.
  • Malware incidents in healthcare rose 30% to 250 cases in 2023 per HHS.
  • EU saw 25% increase in malware targeting banks in 2023 per Europol.
  • Asia-Pacific region accounted for 35% of global malware in 2023 per Interpol.
  • Latin America had 18% malware attack growth in 2023 per OAS.
  • Africa experienced 40% rise in mobile malware in 2023 per GSMA.
  • Middle East malware attacks up 55% in 2023 per Darktrace.
  • UK organizations faced 2,200 malware attacks weekly in 2023 per NCSC.

Prevalence and Distribution Interpretation

In the relentless digital arms race of 2023, while one hand high-fived over a slight dip in unique attacks, the other was frantically swatting away billions of new malware variants, ransomware surges, and email-borne plagues that still managed to breach a disconcerting majority of organizations worldwide.

Types and Evolution

  • Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) kits numbered over 150 active in 2023 per Chainalysis.
  • Emotet malware evolved into 50 new variants post-2021 takedown by 2023.
  • LockBit ransomware claimed 2,200 victims publicly in 2023.
  • Android banking trojans like SharkBot stole credentials from 1.3 million devices in 2023.
  • Fileless malware attacks increased by 265% from 2020 to 2023 per Malwarebytes.
  • Polymorphic malware variants reached 90% of all samples in 2023 per Kaspersky.
  • Crypto-jacking malware mined $2.5 billion in illicit crypto in 2023 per CipherTrace.
  • Supply chain attacks using malware hit 61% of organizations in 2023 per ENISA.
  • Wiper malware like NotPetya variants resurfaced in 15 incidents in 2023 per Mandiant.
  • IoT malware infections grew to 1.5 billion devices targeted in 2023 per SonicWall.
  • Spyware such as Pegasus infected 500 high-profile targets in 2023 per Amnesty International.
  • Downloader trojans facilitated 40% of secondary infections in 2023 per Trend Micro.
  • RATs (Remote Access Trojans) used in 25% of APT campaigns in 2023 per CrowdStrike.
  • Worm malware like WannaCry still active, infecting 10,000 systems monthly in 2023 per Microsoft.
  • Keyloggers captured 2 million credentials daily via malware in 2023 per Proofpoint.
  • Adware bundles with malware affected 80% of free Android apps in 2023 per AV-TEST.
  • Rootkits evaded detection in 15% of enterprise malware in 2023 per Symantec.
  • Dropper malware delivered payloads in 35% of attacks in 2023 per ESET.
  • Exploit kits like RIG exploited vulnerabilities in 20,000 attacks in 2023 per Group-IB.
  • Botnets powered by Mirai variants controlled 2 million IoT devices in 2023 per Shadowserver.
  • Logic bombs in malware activated in 5% of insider threats in 2023 per Verizon DBIR.
  • Hybrid malware combining ransomware and wipers seen in 12 campaigns in 2023 per FireEye.
  • SMS phishing malware (smishing) rose 300% in mobile attacks in 2023 per Zimperium.
  • Clipboard hijackers in malware stole $500 million in crypto in 2023 per Kaspersky.

Types and Evolution Interpretation

The digital underworld is running a disturbingly efficient and diversified business, franchising ransomware, evolving like a Darwinian nightmare, and pilfering everything from your credentials to your cryptocurrency with the casual ease of a pickpocket in an invisible crowd.

Sources & References

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