The malware can also steal privileged credentials, allowing criminals remote access to a customer's network – something that has become a trend in the cybercrime space.

Cherry Picker uses configuration files, encryption, obfuscation and command line arguments to stay away from companies' radars, giving the maware a very low detection rate. Trustwave also learned the malware has consistently improved and morphed into three slightly different variations since 2011, making it even more difficult to detect.

In a 2014 report, security vendor Symantec identified POS malware as one of cybercriminals' most commonly used methods for stealing payment card data. Criminals utilized POS malware under the radar since 2005 or earlier, but when massive data breaches occurred in 2013 and 2014, compromising more than 100 million payment cards, the full magnitude of the problem became apparent, Symantec said. The increasing accessibility of fairly cheap, ready-to-use POS malware kits has only worsened the threat.

Meanwhile, a survey of IT security professionals from the Needham, Mass.-based security firm Promisec found endpoint security solutions continue to lag, failing to provide protections or detections adequate enough to mitigate security threats.

A majority of IT executives surveyed also indicated a heightened fear of a security breach in the coming year and acknowledged a rapidly shifting security landscape, which now includes endpoint security.

An alarming 89% of IT executives have a heightened fear of a breach taking place over the next year, while 74% of respondents said traditional anti-virus defenses no longer address advanced, targeted threats.

The survey also found 82% are either “highly” or “moderately” concerned about a potential security breach in the next year, while only 31% say they are “well prepared” for a cyber-attack. A majority of respondents (73%) consider endpoints – such as desktops, laptops and mobile devices – to be the “most vulnerable” part of a network. And, in spite of a significant concern for potential data breaches and the value of endpoint security, most companies' defenses are inadequate.

“Results from our survey indicate that for many companies, endpoints remain highly vulnerable to a cyber-attack as threat levels continue to rise,” Dan Ross, CEO of Promisec, said. “We continue to see a new breed of more complex and sophisticated threats, where traditional blocking and prevention mechanisms, such as firewall, anti-virus and anti-malware software, are no longer enough to keep our networks safe.”