Everything You Need to Know About Emotet Malware | Total Security Software

In IT security circles, Emotet is one of the most notorious and prominent examples of malware in recent years. If you don't know about Emotet then it is even more important that you learn what Emotet is and how to protect yourself against it - because that could be one of the best things you will ever do.

What is Emotet?

Emotet is a special type of malware created by cyber criminals. This malware was first discovered in 2014 during a cyber attack on banks in Germany and Austria. Emotet gained worldwide attention in the late 2010s thanks to several successful, high-profile attacks.

Emotet is an unusual type of malware in that it is constantly evolving and staying active. Usually, when malware is identified and technology is developed to block it, cyber criminals create a new type of malware that is then renamed.

Cyber ​​criminals typically spread Emotet malware via spam email. A typical way to target users is to send a document with a standard title, such as: B. "Invoice.doc" so that the attachment is considered legitimate by many users when they receive it. As soon as the recipient opens the attachment, Emotet uses macros within the document to download itself to their system and get to work.

Many Emotet emails also contain malicious links with frequently-clicked terms such as “payment details” in their content.

Many Emotet attacks make it appear that the email you receive is from a well-known brand. This has helped the number of successful attacks to increase over the years.

Other factors that make this type of malware so dangerous are that it can lodge itself on systems and operate undetected, bringing various types of malware onto your system in the process. Once you identify and remove Emotet from your system, you may still need to do more work to remove additional malware.

How has Emotet developed in recent years?

To this day, Emotet malware continues to evolve and has far more capabilities than in 2014.

• The first version of Emotet was created to intercept internet traffic with the aim of stealing banking information.
• The second version in 2014 included modules that automatically targeted German and Austrian banks. It also included a referral system so the fraud could be carried out quickly before security systems sounded the alarm.
• A 2015 update included additional camouflage capabilities that hid Emotet from most antivirus programs. It also began to target banks in Switzerland ...

These early versions of Emotet were Trojan horses designed primarily to steal banking information and conduct illegal money transfers.

2018 and beyond

In 2018 Emotet evolved from a traditional Trojan malware to a so-called "dropper". This means that Emotet can not only infect systems, but also transfer and download other Trojan horses and ransomware onto computer systems. As a result, an Emotet attack can result in both data being stolen without knowledge and an individual, company or other organization falling victim to ransomware. It is believed that this happens via the creators of Emotet, who "rent" their software to other criminals. The criminals pay for the malware so that they can access data and keep 100% of the profits from their ransomware or other malware.

In 2019 , Emotet was used as a botnet to attack a large number of people and organizations, especially banks from Europe and the USA.

Emotet is still active in 2021 , with campaigns discovered throughout the year. At the end of 2020, it was found that the malware was spreading from around 50,000 parked domains. These parked domains are newly registered and immediately parked domains or existing good standing domains that the previous owner did not renew.

Five famous malware attacks with Emotet

Emotet has been the cause of several high profile cyberattacks in recent years. Five of the most important are:

1. An attack was carried out on the Allentown, Pennsylvania local government in February 2018 that infiltrated the local government computer systems. While nothing was spent on ransomware payouts, the total cost to fix and mitigate the damage caused by the attack was more than $ 1 million.
2. An attack on the city of Lake City, Florida in July 2019 caused $ 460,000 in damage due to ransomware payouts .
3. In May 2019 there was an attack on the Heise Group , a publishing house based in Germany. This attack was caused by an employee opening what appeared to be a legitimate email attachment. However, it is not known what, if any, financial damage occurred.
4. In August 2020, there was an attack on the Quebec Justice Department in Canada . Although the Justice Department said no data was stolen or financial damage was incurred, the Department has been heavily criticized for its slow response to the problem. In December 2020, the ministry continues to be accused of not correctly assessing the severity of the attack.
5. Throughout September 2020, government agencies across Europe reported increased Emotet activity and attempted fraud. However, it is not known to what extent these were successful.

How does Emotet malware spread and why is it so difficult to detect?

Emotet typically spreads through email systems by hijacking accounts and sending malicious emails.

Once in your system, the malware will search your inbox and email contact list. It can then reply to real email messages with malicious attachments or links. This is another factor that makes Emotet more dangerous than traditional phishing scam emails, which are often easy to spot as they are randomly sent from an unknown source.

Since the people on your contact list will receive an email that looks like a real reply - to an email they actually sent - they are more likely to open it and click the attachment or link. If they do, the malware can infect their system, steal data, install other malware, and repeat the process with that person's email account.

Detecting Emotet is difficult because it is programmed to bypass most antivirus products. A traditional virus uses the same code “signature” every time it tries to establish itself on your system. So as long as your antivirus software knows what signature to look for, it can block these viruses.

In contrast, Emotet is a so-called polymorphic virus. This means that the malware's “signature” changes on every computer it installs on, and the anti-virus software cannot detect it. Emotet also detects when it is running in a virtual machine and can automate itself to rest until it can act effectively.

How can you protect yourself from Emotet?

The most effective means of protection against this malware is finding a SIEM solution that can help identify and help quarantine Emotet emails and those containing associated malware such as Ryuk ransomware . A SIEM solution such as LogPoint, can help detect Emotet and bring an added layer of security to your business emails.

The most effective protection against this malware is a SIEM solution that can help identify and quarantine Emotet emails and those containing related malware such as Ryuk Ransomware . A SIEM solution like LogPoint can help identify Emotet and create an additional layer of security for your business emails.

In addition to choosing software that will help you block Emotet attacks and continuously monitor your internal networks, you should also:

• Disable the use of macros in Microsoft Office files.
• Install total security software and updates as soon as they are available for the software you are using.
• Make regular backup copies of all data and keep them safe in a separate location from the master files.
• Create a culture of care in your company. If employees are careful which attachments they open - or you use cloud software to make attachments meaningless - you minimize your risk of falling victim to Emotet to almost zero. Make sure your team doesn't take the use of security software as a false sense of security!

What actions can you take if your systems are affected by Emotet?

If you think you may have an Emotet infection, do the following:

1. Remove potentially infected systems from your network.
2. Check the system and remove the malware if you can confirm it is there. It may be necessary to erase and reinstall the system.
3. Look for other ransomware and other malware that Emotet may have dropped. If these are present, you should remove them as well.
4. Check and clean every other system on your network, one at a time. Remember that Emotet can rest on your systems. You need to invest the time to make sure you don't run into a problem right away, even though you feel you have eliminated it.
5. Once you have confirmed that the malware is not present on your network, reintegrate the system on which you identified the original infection.