What is Emotet?

Emotet

Emotet was initially developed as a banking Trojan to steal sensitive and personal information. Later malware versions included hosting other Trojans, spamming, and spreading to other systems in the connected network.

How does Emotet spread?

Emotet has worm-like capabilities to spread and affect individuals, organizations, and the government by working in the following manner:

• Authentic-looking spam mails are sent to users containing malicious scripts, links, or macro-enabled documents.

• When the attachment is clicked upon or downloaded, it infects the system with Emotet malware.

• If the infected system is connected to a network, Emotet uses a brute-force approach to crack the passwords of the connected systems on the network and gain access to them.

• It attacks Wi-Fi networks by scanning nearby wireless networks of the infected system and using a common passwords list or a brute-force approach to trespass.

• Emotet can ransack contact lists and send authentic-looking spam emails to them.

Dangers

Emotet is polymorphicThe code changes slightly each time the malware is called up., which makes it difficult for antivirus programs to detect it. In addition, it can host other Trojans on the infected system, achieving the term of a "dropper."

Emotet can also act as a space for storing spammed credentials, which cybercriminals can then use to carry out other attacks.

Prevention

It's essential to take precautionary steps to protect from the damage caused by Emotet. The following measures can be implemented:

• Educate individuals on the working of the malware.

• Avoid opening attachments if the email looks suspicious.

• If not required, deactivate macros for Microsoft Office files.

• Update systems with the latest version of Microsoft Windows.

• Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication for all devices.

• Look out for suspicious file extensions, such as "Report.jpg.exe."

• Swiftly take action when the malware is detected to reduce its further spread.

How to limit the spread

Isolate the infected computer system if connected to a network and run antivirus or anti-malware scans. Remove the infected files and any other traces of Emotet. Patch any vulnerabilities in the system. Repeat the same process for all systems connected to the network.

To prevent further spread, we can change our login credentials for all accounts on a separate network. In addition, we can inform people on our contact list since they would be at risk.

Note: Clean each system in isolation.