Global law enforcement authorities have disrupted Emotet, known as the “most dangerous malware” in the world.
In 2014, Emotet was first discovered as a banking Trojan. This malware became one of the most professional cybercrime services over the years. The Emotet infrastructure works to unlock computer systems around the globe.
The established unauthorized access will then be sold to other top-notch cybercriminal groups who will conduct additional illegal actions including installing ransomware and stealing information.
Emotet took advantage of email to attack computers in a fully automated process. Emotet malware gained access to user’s computers via infected email attachments acting as invoices, shipping notices, and details about COVID-19.
Law enforcement joined up to create an efficient tactical plan to seriously disrupt the Emotet infrastructure. It culminated in action this week by authorities seizing control of the infrastructure and bringing it down from the inside.
The victims' compromised computers have been diverted into the infrastructure regulated by law enforcement. This is the new approach uniquely designed to disrupt cybercrime activities successfully.
The Dutch National Police handled a criminal investigation of Emotet. They discovered the stolen database containing e-mail addresses, usernames, and passwords. The police advised people that they should check whether their email addresses have been compromised.
A network of so-called Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) was developed to spread around the world information about the notification of those affected and the cleaning up of the Emotet infrastructure. This initiative is part of the global remediation plan.
Taking control of the Emotet botnet was accomplished due to collective effort from the global law enforcement authorities. Europol said that the Emotet network is made of several hundred servers across the world.
The disruption was managed by eight countries namely, United States, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Lithuania, Germany, and the Netherlands.
There are ways to protect yourself from malware. Europol encouraged internet users to regularly update antivirus tools on their devices. Also, users should practice extra caution to prevent being infected with malware attacks.
Take note of the following reminders: watch out for attachments or embedded links from unknown senders, messages with a sense of urgency asking you to download something, and offers with a promise of reward that sounds too good to be true.
