Computer security folks use a tool known as VirusTotal to check suspicious files against a whole slew of antivirus programs at once. It’s a great way to see which, if any, antivirus programs may detect an exploit. Turns out that the bad guys are using it, too, so that they can alter their malware code so as to avoid detection.

Security researcher Brandon Dixon has identified patterns in VirusTotal’s data which depicts cybercrooks honing malware exploits to eliminate detection, then seeing these exploits show up on victims’ computers.

Source: wired.com

Related: You can check suspicious files yourself at virustotal.com