Whether you’ve heard of Emotet or not, this malware requires your attention. During COVID-19, new life was breathed back into once-forgotten cyberattacks, and the Night King has returned from the dead, more dangerous than ever.
Far removed from its humble origins in 2014 as a banking Trojan, Emotet is now the backbone of an entire cybercrime organization by selling system access acquired via malware to other cybercriminals. As malware mimicking software, it can be very challenging to identify Emotet once it’s in your system. And whereas other cybersecurity risks are called bugs, Emotet is instead a full-on infestation. By dropping families of malware into infected computers, Emotet can lead to high-risk infections.
More often than not, Emotet infects users via phishing or spam emails. To infect the most people possible, these emails are delivered in campaigns, containing attachments often in the form of Microsoft Word documents. When opened, recipients will be asked to enable the use of macro commands to properly display content. But once users grant their permission, the cyberattack commences via a JavaScript file.
The best way to avoid an Emotet infection is to utilize extreme caution when opening potential spam emails. In fact, it is best to delete any potentially nefarious content as soon as possible. Keep your spam folder clean and make sure to gate-off your inbox. Additionally, practice care when downloading programs or attachments off the internet. Never open strange links or attachments. Last but not least, installing and employing legitimate anti-virus and anti-spyware software is a must. By running programs such as Combo Cleaner AntiVirus, you can automatically detect and delete infiltrated malware.
