Emotet has been a topic for a long time! The dangerous Trojan is smuggled onto computers via fake emails.
Emotet: An email with shocking content and threats. The fear of the threats leads many recipients to take a look at the attachment as a precaution. But this attachment is the trap!
The supposed reminder, invoice or payment request is actually a Trojan that has now been activated. This is usually a Trojan called Emotet.
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Emotet is not a new malware, but has been known for some time.
This malware has existed since 2014 and has continued to appear in newer versions since then. If the Trojan manages to install itself on a user's system, spam and phishing emails are sent from the user's account to all of the user's contacts. Nevertheless, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has renewed the warning about the Trojan:
⚠️Beware of #Emotet – currently one of the most dangerous botnets in operation. #certbund once again became aware of several high profile victims?.
‼️ Don't be the next ‼️
— CERT-Bund (@certbund) December 16, 2019
The Emotet emails usually contain either a malicious Office document directly as a file attachment or a link to bypass spam protection. This link then leads to a download of an infected document. These Office documents in turn contain macros that load additional malware .
The BSI published a warning back in September. According to the BSI, the Emotet Trojan has a “significant impact”. To protect yourself, the BSI recommends:
- Install security updates promptly.
- Use anti-virus software and update it regularly.
- Back up data regularly.
- Set up a separate user account for surfing and writing emails.
- Open email file attachments with caution.
- Check links contained in messages before clicking.
See also the BSI press release
Article image by Tomas Knopp / Shutterstock.com
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