Malware on its face isn’t the most thrilling content to illustrate, but pair a piece of research with an enticing illustration and suddenly it’s a lot more fun to consume. Squirrel Waffle, Lilac Squid, Mustang Panda — these were just begging to be drawn! Years ago I coined the term “malware mascot” and I’ve ran with it since. My team has drawn countless malware mascots representing a large body of research on the Cisco Talos blog. This artwork has been a win/win. My team has gotten to exercise their illustrative chops and our important content has been anchored by vibrant artwork to draw attention to work that may have otherwise been scrolled by on social.