What are the current malware threats we are facing, and how can we mitigate against them?

This report provides a brief background on what malware is; the types of malware and how they operate; recent trends in malware capabilities, behaviors, and incidents as of September 17, 2009; and what makes systems vulnerable to malware infection. It also discusses the types of countermeasures used to fight malware and the technological capabilities employed by those countermeasures. The report goes on to provide a summary of the characteristics and capabilities of 150+ publicly available anti-malware tools (commercial, open-source, and free). Finally, it identifies a number of suggested resources for learning more about malware and anti-malware technology and tools and for obtaining guidance on how to effectively mitigate malware risks throughout the information technology life cycle.