The big picture: Based on the most recent global malware threat analysis, browser-based cryptocurrency miners are the most prevalent threat for the 15th consecutive month. As prices fall, though, they are slowing going away as their profitability declines.

Security research firm Check Point's latest malware report shows Coinhive is still the most active threat online. Cryptomining variants make up half the top 10 most wanted types of malware. These mostly come in the form of web-based JavaScript miners that use your CPU whenever you visit sites with such malware.

You may encounter this type of malware when visiting infected sites, but that is not always the case. Some less-than-ethical web developers negotiate contracts with the malware developers to host the miners on their site for a share of the profits.

The good news is that as cryptocurrency prices fall, operations become less profitable. Coinhive, for example, announced that it had officially ceased operations as of last week.

Ransomware and banking trojans like GandCrab are on the rise and continue to evolve new methods for evading anti-virus programs.

While mobile devices are inherently more secure than PCs, they are not immune. The top three mobile malware strains all target Android phones. Lotoor and Triada are able to gain administrative privileges on a device which allows them to spy on the user, steal passwords, or inject ads.

Hiddad uses an innovative technique to break into mobile devices. Rather than exploit a vulnerability, it repackages legitimate apps and uploads them in the hopes of tricking users into downloading them instead of the real app. Once on a system, it will display adds and can extract security keys.

Lead image courtesy Dan Eady via Shutterstock. Second photo via Jaiz Anuar via Shutterstock.