Which of the following is usually a common characteristic of malware?

The characteristic that commonly defines malware is its tendency to attempt to hide its presence. Malware, by nature, is designed to perform malicious actions without the user's knowledge or consent. This often includes techniques like stealthy installation, running processes in the background, or using encryption to obscure its code. Such behavior is intended to avoid detection by users and security software, allowing the malware to operate and carry out its malicious activities, such as data theft, unauthorized access, or damage to systems, more effectively.

While user productivity, constant user input, and increasing system speed are not typical traits of malware—rather, malware disrupts productivity, can operate autonomously without user intervention, and often slows down system performance—its ability to conceal itself is essential for its success in executing its harmful objectives undetected.