Beware of Emotet - That's Behind the Dangerous Malware | Total Security Software

The Trojan Emotet spreads very quickly to many computers via phishing emails. How to protect yourself and act if your system is already infected. But you can protect yourself from Trojan Emotet with Protegent360's total security software.

That Is What Makes Emotet so Dangerous

It is no longer a secret that phishing attacks have been increasing for years. Nevertheless, a large-scale spam campaign around the "Emotet" Trojan is currently causing fear and horror in Germany. Due to the acute danger, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has issued another warning.

The malware gets onto the computer via phishing emails. Once Emotet is on the computer, disaster takes its course. Various types of malware can be placed downstream through the Trojan. Trojans are used particularly frequently to spy on access data for online banking. Emotet can also be used to spread ransomware that encrypts files and deletes backups. A ransom is then requested to release the affected data.

Difficult to Stop Spreading

The spread of Emotet is particularly difficult to get a grip on. This is because the program omits contact relationship information and email content. Based on this information, not only can further victims be identified but also individual spear phishing emails can be generated. This is how phishing e-mails appear to come from people with whom they have only recently communicated. If the subject and content match previous e-mails, trust is usually high enough to open attachments or click links. This, in turn, gets the malware onto the PC of its next victim.

Here's What You Should Do When Your Systems Are Infected

According to the BSI, Emotet led to serious production downtimes in several cases. If you notice the Trojan on your systems, you should immediately isolate all potentially infected systems from the network to prevent further spread. To do this, remove the network cable. It is not enough to turn off the device. The affected systems should then be set up again. In addition, all saved passwords should be changed. It is also advisable to report the incident to the BSI and inform your business partners.

You Should Do This to Protect Yourself from Emotet

In addition to the use of anti-virus software, the BSI urgently recommends installing security updates for operating systems and application programs promptly and performing offline backups on a regular basis. As the most important measure, however, the BSI recommends raising the awareness of employees as the top priority, because they play a prominent role in the spread of and protection against Emotet. Since antivirus programs and filters do not always reliably detect the latest versions of the Trojan, employees should know exactly how to recognize personalized e-mails - and what you must not do under any circumstances!

The first step should therefore be to inform employees about the current threat situation, e.g. through mailings or offline media such as posters. In order to ensure awareness in the long term, however, a sustainable solution is required to sensitize employees. Online solutions are available here, e.g. classic e-learning courses or phishing simulations. This confronts the employees with emails which, for example, are modeled exactly on the Emotet emails. In this way, your employees continuously learn how to deal with the latest cyberattacks - and in a time-saving way. 

Protect your data from the spread of Emotet by Protegent360's total security software.