Half a million malicious files detected per day in 2025: report

Cybersecurity researchers detected an average of 500,000 malicious files every day in 2025, according to new data from Kaspersky, marking a 7 percent increase from 2024.

The report, part of the company's annual Security Bulletin, draws on data from the Kaspersky Security Network covering November 2024 to October 2025, found that password-stealing malware grew by 59 percent, spyware detections rose by 51 percent, and backdoor attacks increased by 6 percent compared with 2024. 

According to a press release by Kaspersky, Windows users faced the highest level of exposure, with 48 percent targeted, compared with 29 percent of Mac users. Globally, 27 percent of users encountered web-based threats requiring internet access, while roughly 33 percent faced offline attacks delivered through USB drives, discs or bundled installers.

Kaspersky reported that all regions saw rising levels of malware activity between 2024 and 2025, with particularly sharp increases across the Asia-Pacific region and Europe. Latin America, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States also experienced significant growth in password stealers, spyware and other forms of malicious software, states the press release.

"One of the most significant revelations made by Kaspersky this year was the resurgence of the Hacking Team after its 2019 rebranding, with its commercial spyware Dante used in the ForumTroll APT campaign, incorporating zero-day exploits in Chrome and Firefox browsers," said Alexander Liskin, Head of Threat Research at Kaspersky.