A botnet is a group of internet-connected devices that are controlled by a single individual or group, often without the knowledge or consent of the device owners. These devices can be used to launch a variety of malicious attacks, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, spam campaigns, and data theft. Botnet malware is the software that is used to infect devices and turn them into part of a botnet.

A keylogger is a type of spyware that infects a system and has the ability to record every keystroke made on the device. This lets attackers collect personal information of victims, which may include their online banking credentials, as well as personal conversations. The most widespread vector of attack leading to a keylogger infection begins with a phishing email or link. Keylogging is also often present in remote access trojans as part of an extended set of malicious tools.

A loader is malicious software that infiltrates devices to deliver malicious payloads. This malware is capable of infecting victims’ computers, analyzing their system information, and installing other types of threats, such as trojans or stealers. Criminals usually deliver loaders through phishing emails and links by relying on social engineering to trick users into downloading and running their executables. Loaders employ advanced evasion and persistence tactics to avoid detection.

Crypto mining malware is a resource-intensive threat that infiltrates computers with the purpose of mining cryptocurrencies. This type of threat can be deployed either on an infected machine or a compromised website. In both cases the miner will utilize the computing power of the device and its network bandwidth.

Stealers are a group of malicious software that are intended for gaining unauthorized access to users’ information and transferring it to the attacker. The stealer malware category includes various types of programs that focus on their particular kind of data, including files, passwords, and cryptocurrency. Stealers are capable of spying on their targets by recording their keystrokes and taking screenshots. This type of malware is primarily distributed as part of phishing campaigns.