Though fileless malware has been around much longer, it only became a mainstream method of cyberattack in 2017. With fileless malware, cybercriminals are able to use legitimate tools and services, such as existing software, applications, and authorized protocols, to carry out malicious activities like unauthorized data retrieval or data damage. Left unchecked, these types of malware can adversely affect your business processes and the infrastructures that run them.
What is fileless malware?
Fileless malware is malicious software that doesn’t rely on executable files to infect your infrastructure. Rather, it hides in your computer’s random access memory and uses trusted, legitimate processes, such as Microsoft Office macros, PowerShell, and Windows Management Instrumentation.Fileless malware isn’t as visible as traditional malware. It uses a variety of techniques to stay persistent and can adversely affect the integrity of a business’s processes and the infrastructures that run them. Because there are no files to trace, fileless malware escapes detection by most anti-malware programs, especially those that use the databases of known threats. Most automated sensors cannot recognize illicit scripts, and cybersecurity analysts who are trained to identify them usually have a hard time determining where to look.
What potential damage can fileless malware do?
If it is not detected and removed, fileless malware can do a lot of damage to business systems, such as:- Steal or destroy data
- Modify files without authorization
- Act as a backdoor for other types of malware
- Cause system crashes and instability
- Disrupt normal operations by taking up CPU time or memory