System-Level Malware

Some types of malware burrow themselves deeply into the applications or system-level processes and attempt to inject themselves into the system just as it begins to run, according to Microsoft's Konstantas.

The bulk of the malware detection capabilities in the market today sit above the operating system layer, Konstantas said. But by burrowing itself deeply into the hardware or system-level processes, Konstantas said this type of malware is able to run underneath the operating system and thereby avoid detection.

By coming in at boot-up time right as the machine is firing up, Konstantas said this type of malware is able to sit under all of the application and protections that only activate after the boot-up is complete. And the longer system-level malware is able to persist, the more time it has to perform actions such as stealing data, destroying data or finding its way to higher-value data, according to Konstantas.