How it works (simple explanation)

• The attacker skims tiny portions (like fractions of a cent or small bits of data).

• Each slice is so small that victims or systems usually don’t detect it.

• Over time, the accumulated “slices” become valuable to the attacker.

Common examples

• Banking fraud: A malicious program rounds down interest calculations and transfers the leftover fractions of cents into the attacker’s account.

• Payroll systems: Tiny amounts are deducted from many employees’ salaries.

• Data theft: Small pieces of sensitive data are slowly extracted to avoid triggering security alerts.

Why it’s hard to detect

• Individual losses are negligible.

• Monitoring systems may ignore such small discrepancies.

• Victims rarely check records at that level of detail.

Why it’s called “salami”

Just like slicing a salami into thin pieces, each slice seems insignificant on its own—but the whole salami is valuable.