1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating host malware detection, the method comprising: a) receiving baseline set of response time information for each of one or more transactions involving (A) the host and (B) at least one peer of the host; b) determining or receiving a later set of response time information for each of the one or more transactions involving the host; c) determining whether or not host slowdown has occurred using the baseline set of response time information and the later set of response time information; and d) controlling the execution of a host malware protection policy using at least the determination of whether or not host slowdown has occurred.