Disclosed herein are systems and method for inspecting archived slices for malware using empty spare files. In one exemplary aspect, the method comprises generating a backup slice and a virtual volume comprising a list of files in the backup slice and associated file information. The method comprises mounting the virtual volume to a disk. The method comprises creating, in the virtual volume, empty sparse files that are placeholders of the files reference in the list of files. The method comprises detecting a change between a respective empty sparse file and a corresponding file in a previous backup slice and accordingly storing the actual content of the file in the virtual volume in place of the respective empty sparse file. The method comprises scanning the virtual volume for malicious software and generating a cured slice that replaces the backup slice in the backup archive upon detection.