Glossary
Dropper
A small program whose only job is to deliver and execute a larger malware payload on the target system.
A dropper is a delivery component that installs malware. It typically carries (or downloads) a payload, writes it to disk or memory, and executes it — often while evading detection during that brief window.
A loader is closely related: where a dropper bundles its payload, a loader fetches it from a remote server. Families like Emotet blurred the line, acting as malware-as-a-service loaders for other criminal operations.