The malware your antivirus can’t see and the AI making 560,000 new viruses every day

Kim Komando reveals why AI-generated malware is beating free antivirus software, the dark web marketplace selling viruses for $100/month and the symptoms that mean your computer is already infected.

⚡ TL;DR (THE SHORT VERSION)

  • 560,000 new malware variants are created every single day, most using AI.
  • Your computer is probably already infected, and your free antivirus missed it. Detection rate, as low as 60%.
  • Hackers sell custom malware on the dark web for $100/month. 

📖 Read time: 3 minutes

ChatGPT

I need your help: Add Komando.com as a preferred source on Google

Your computer’s dragging. Pop-ups are breeding like rabbits. Your home page changed, and you didn’t do it. Programs you’ve never seen before run in the background.

Congrats. You’ve got malware. 

Hackers are using AI to pump out 560,000 brand-new malware variants every single day. Your free antivirus? It has no idea what hit you.

🤖 AI broke antivirus, completely

Malware attacks shot up 131% over the last year. Thanks, AI.

Cybercriminals type prompts into ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude, and boom, malware in seconds. They deploy it before your antivirus even knows it exists. Oh, it gets better. 

The first AI malware that thinks for itself is out: PromptFlux and PromptSteal. These nasty things rewrite their code every few minutes while they’re attacking you. Some 80% of phishing attacks use AI. Sleep tight!

💰 Malware comes with a help desk

Viruses are sold on the dark web like you’d buy Netflix. $4,500 gets you 1,000 malware installs. Monthly subscriptions run $100 to $1,000, with customer support, regular updates and a loyalty program. 

These marketplaces have product descriptions, reviews and, yes, sales.

🍎 ‘Macs don’t get viruses’

Mac malware jumped 50% this year, targeting users through fake downloads. That “I’m safe because Apple” attitude? Hackers love it. Makes their job easier.

Why you? Credit cards saved in Safari. Banking apps. Maybe a crypto wallet. You’re not paranoid, you’re profitable.

🚨 Think you’re clean? Let’s find out.

Windows:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click the Processes tab. Spot anything weird eating CPU or memory? Problem.
  3. Browser redirecting you places you didn’t ask to go? Bigger problem.

Mac:

  1. Open Activity Monitor (Command + Space, type “Activity Monitor”).
  2. Check for processes using high CPU you didn’t launch.
  3. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items.
  4. See something you didn’t add? Get rid of it.

🚩 Red flags: Sluggish performance. Pop-ups. Home page hijacked. PC or Mac running hot. Security software turned off. Programs you never installed.

💊 The fix 

I constantly evaluate my recommendations for you. I test, I compare, I switch when something better comes along. In 2026? Webroot is the best. It’s what I use.

I like free, but free antivirus (Microsoft Defender, built-in Mac protection and the others) only catches 60%-80% of threats. That means 20%-40% of malware waltzes right past it. Paid antivirus with real-time cloud protection? That stops 95%-99%. I like those odds better.

Here’s my other beef. Most antivirus programs are resource hogs. Norton, Bitdefender, Trend Micro, McAfee, etc. gobble up 2-4 GB of RAM. Webroot? Uses 1/6th the memory. Scans 6x faster. Stops modern threats on PCs and Macs with real-time protection. 

Right now, I’ve arranged for you to get 75% off Webroot Essentials. You’re not going to find a better price anywhere else. I made sure of that. By the way, if you buy, I get no kickbacks or residuals.

📤 Know someone whose computer is “acting weird”? Forward this. They’re probably infected and don’t know it. Or use the share icons below to post this.