13 Types of Malware Attacks — and How To Defend Against Them

This report provides a concise primer on malware threats and defenses, describing thirteen common malware types (including ransomware, fileless malware, trojans, worms, rootkits, spyware, wipers, and cryptojacking), recent attacker trends such as ransomware-as-a-service and increased fileless attacks, and example incidents (e.g., Emotet, MGM/Scattered Spider). It emphasizes proactive defenses—monitoring and detection tools, vulnerability management, zero trust and MFA, security awareness training, and incident response/MDR—as primary mitigations to reduce risk.