What happens when each known malware file is represented by a one-to-one signature approach?

When each known malware file is represented by a one-to-one signature approach, the system generates a unique signature for every individual malware variant. This method provides a direct way to identify specific malware, but it significantly limits scalability. As the volume of malware continues to grow—exponentially in many cases—the requirement to maintain a separate signature for each new strain becomes increasingly burdensome.

Maintaining and updating a vast database of unique signatures can lead to performance issues and complexity in managing these signatures. The resources needed to process and scan these signatures can also overwhelm systems, making it inefficient for timely malware detection and response. Therefore, the one-to-one signature approach does not scale well in practice as the number of unique threats rises, resulting in challenges for security solutions trying to keep pace with evolving malware landscapes.

The other approaches mentioned, like improving scalability, offering faster detection, or simplifying identification do not hold true under a one-to-one signature methodology, as they imply a more adaptive and efficient method of managing malware detection.