What is Emotet? Why Businesses Should Know About It?

Emotet is not an emo band that your daughter follows. It is the worst nightmare for any person or company. Emotet, originally designed to target banks, was discovered by researchers in 2014. It is malware that steals sensitive information from computers by hijacking the system. The extended versions of Emotet contained spamming and delivery threats.

Emotet was smart enough to go undetected by many antiviruses. It worked like a worm to spread into other systems that connected to the source. It was declared as a high costing and destructive malware. Employee tracking software can help identify where things went wrong in the first place. Emotet was listed second in the most prevalent malware index in December 2021.

What is Emotet?

Emotet is a trojan malware that predominantly spreads through spam Emails, also known as malspam. It was developed as a foreign spying tool that infiltrated the systems and networks and stole confidential information. Emotet is sent to the computer through an Email that looks legit by appearance. But it contains macro-enabled files or harmful links. People are coaxed into opening those files or links by tempting them. It may use words like “payment information,” “invoice,” or “dirty pictures.” Companies can use the best employee monitoring app for email tracking of their employees to protect business from these types of cyber-attacks.

Emotet is a cunning software that knows how to trick anti-malware and go undetected. It stays dormant if there is a cybersecurity tool in function. In addition, it keeps itself updated using the C&C servers just like a PC updates itself.

How Does Emotet Spread?

As we mentioned earlier, its primary way of spreading is through a malspam. It plunders the entire friends, family, and colleagues’ contact information and ships itself to them. To the recipients, it appears like you are sending safe emails to them. And they are intrigued to open those links or download those files into their systems. Worst can happen if those computers are connected to some network. You guessed it right, that trojan goes straight to attack other computers.

Emotet can also install other banking trojans in the system. Or be used as a depot to dump stolen credentials, passwords, emails, etc. For the employees doing work from home. The employer can use an app to monitor remote employees to ensure networks’ well-being.

What is the History of Emotet?

If you belong to a Gen-Z, you may remember the first encounter of malspam in 2014. Just like an ice-bucket challenge trend, everyone knew this virus threat. There is no reliable source to navigate the origin country of this malware. Emotet was created to target and steal bank account information primarily. But later versions started to include money transfer, malspam, and banking trojans. The banking module targeted Australian, German banks.

In 2015, it was updated to work in stealth mode and targeted Swiss banks. By 2018 Emotet could add other trojans and ransomware to the infected systems. In 2019 it targeted German, Polish, Italian, and English with emails that lured them to open a macro-embedded document. The employee tracking software used by many companies enhances their ability to avoid contacting Emotet.

Who Does Emotet Target?

There is no specific target for Emotet now. Everyone and anyone can become its prey. From individual people to big shot companies, startups, and government corporations.  Many banks in the US and Europe became its target. We know that Emotet was initially launched to target bank accounts in Germany. Later “improved” versions were packed with other Trojans and malware to deliver to Canada, UK and USA organizations.

In 2018 Fuerstenfeldbruck hospital in Germany became the victim of Emotet. It had to shut down all computers in the rescue control centre. Many institutes and organizations don’t declare breaches as it would damage reputation. Therefore they use the best employee monitoring app to shun any possibility of their employees . Bringing the trojan into the network.

Which Devices Does Emotet Target?

In the beginning, the assumption was that Emotet would only infect windows based systems. But during 2019, security researchers found that Apple users also became their targets. The modus operandi of these criminals was to send a fake email by claiming that. Apple would terminate your account if you didn’t respond. People would, in turn, open the malicious links and end up infecting their systems.

How Does the Emotet Trojan Spread?

Once a computer is infected, the malware reads the Email. It creates manipulative emails that look legit, standing out from other spam Emails. This trojan then scans the contact list of friends, family, and coworkers and sends out those emails. When someone receives emails from their entrusted person, they automatically open them and follow what is claimed.

An infected URL or document is primarily attached to phishing Emails that people open or download. Email may claim that forwarding this link to 10 people. It will make you a winner of coupons from renowned shopping brands, etc. Those innocent-looking word documents or URLs will infect and spread the trojan in the system without a person knowing. Email or that link is created; it looks like an authentic page of a well-known brand.

Once Emotet is in the system, it starts spreading to the network. It uses other malware like Brute Force, DoublePulsar, WannaCry or EternalBlue to steal the user names, passwords, account information, etc. It doesn’t require human intervention and can download and multiply that malware into infected systems and spread them to others.

Is Emotet Dangerous?

As per the US department of homeland security. Emotet is one of the most expensive, complex, and destructive malware in history. The cleaning cost of this malware can reach up to one million US dollars. It is why Emotet earned the title of “king of malware” from the head of BSI. Emotet allows different variables at different times, thus making it polymorphic.

The polymorphic nature of Emotet makes it invisible to the antivirus software, which searches the viruses typically using their signatures. In February 2020, Binary Search security researchers discovered that Emotet is attacking Wi-Fi networks. Cybercriminals would connect an infected device with the Wi-Fi network. The trojan will search nearby networks and access them using a password list. Once entered into a network, it spreads the malware to connected devices.

Is Protection From Emotet Possible?

Yes, it is possible. But relying solely on antivirus isn’t enough to protect yourself from Trojans. It is hard to detect Emotet due to its polymorphic properties. To avoid infection, we need to implement some organizational and technical measures.

1. Learn what Emotet is and how it operates.
2. Update your computers with Microsoft Windows latest patches.
3. Install a good antivirus and keep installing the security updates for your OS.
4. Please don’t download or click on any suspicious link or attachment, no matter how tempting it looks.
5. Use strong passwords and 2FA or MFA authentication methods.
6. Try implementing multi-layered cybersecurity protection.
7. Do a regular backup of your data to an external device.
8. Set the view on your computer with extensions. It will allow you to see the exact format of that file. E.g. “videolog.mp4.exe.”

How To Remove Emotet?

In case system has been infected with Emotet, then follow the steps mentioned below;

1. Immediately disconnect the infected system from the network.
2. After isolation, start patching and cleaning processes on the system.
3. Don’t plug into the network yet.
4. Repeat the process with every computer connected to the network and reconnect all systems through a network.
5. Change the login details of your accounts from another source that Emotet does not infect.
6. Inform others about the issue so that they won’t open any malicious file sent by you.
7. Reach out for professional help if things are getting out of hand.

Endnote:

Emotet has matured through time with the other technical advancements. It no longer targets banks but any company or even a potential individual. King of Malware, Emotet, is very harmful and can cost an enormous fortune to companies. Criminals exploit the fear in society, like the fear of CoronaVirus. They sent fake emails stating that it contained educational information about COVID-19.

Remote employees can still infect the company by sending an infected Email to fellow employees. Therefore companies use app like TheWiSpy employee monitoring app to monitor remote employees. It is polymorphic, due to which the detection is challenging, and removal is heavy on pockets. Keep your company safe and conduct seminars and training of employees regarding online threats and ways to avoid them.