Infostealers follow a short, automated process designed to go unnoticed by both users and security software. The entire attack usually takes less than 30 seconds.

1. Infection — The victim downloads a malicious file through phishing, cracked software, or malvertising.

2. Execution — The stealer runs briefly in memory. No alerts. No persistence.

3. Exfiltration — It collects credentials, session tokens, autofill data, and system info.

4. Log creation — The data is packaged into a "log" and uploaded to a remote server.

5. Distribution — Logs are sold on dark web marketplaces or shared via Telegram.

This process is often invisible to antivirus or EDR tools — especially on unmanaged or personal devices. For a visual breakdown of active infostealer operations, see Any.Run’s Malware Trends.

Infostealers don’t exploit vulnerabilities. They exploit habits — and appear where convenience meets opportunity.