If you are a regular reader in this blog then it once again a new security thread thus make you be aware of the technical world. Same like that if you're a new user here then it will also helps you to understand the new security thread in the technical world. So no more discussion let's dive into the matter of today's blog. This new security thread is called as Emotet. This one is considered as a most dangerous malware botnet, here you all get one doubt that if it is the most dangerous one, then why it sounds like new to us?
For this thought I will give you clear definition for you thus make you to understand it better. First the definition part.
What is Emotet?
Emotet is a computer malware program that was originally developed in the form of a banking Trojan. The goal was to access foreign devices and spy on sensitive private data. Emotet has been known to deceive basic antivirus programs and hide from them. Once infected, the malware spreads like a computer worm and attempts to infiltrate other computers in the network.
How it Spreads?
Emotet spreads mainly through spam emails. The respective email contains a malicious link or an infected document. If you download the document or open the link, further malware is automatically downloaded onto your computer. These emails were created to look very authentic and many people have fallen victim to Emotet.
Who does Emotet targets?
Everyone is a target for Emotet. To date, Emotet has hit individuals, companies, and government entities across the United States and Europe, stealing banking logins, financial data, and even Bitcoin wallets.
One noteworthy Emotet attack on the City of Allentown, PA, required direct help from Microsoft’s incident response team to clean up and reportedly cost the city upwards of $1M to fix.
Now that Emotet is being used to download and deliver other banking Trojans, the list of targets is potentially even broader. Early versions of Emotet were used to attack banking customers in Germany. Later versions of Emotet targeted organizations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
How to protect ourselves?
When protecting against Emotet and other Trojans, it is not enough to rely solely on antivirus programs. Detecting the polymorphic virus is just the first step for end users. There is simply no solution that provides 100% protection against Emotet or other constantly changing Trojans. Only by taking organizational and technical measures, can you keep the risk of infection to a minimum.
Here are some tips to protect yourself from Emotet:
- Keep up to date. Keep yourself regularly informed about further developments concerning Emotet.
- Security updates: it is essential that you install updates provided by manufacturers as quickly as possible to close possible security gaps. This applies to operating systems such as Windows and macOS as well as any application programs, browsers, browser add-ons, email clients, Office, and PDF programs.
- Virus protection: Be sure to install a full virus and malware protection program and have it scan your computer regularly for vulnerabilities. This will give you the best possible protection against the latest viruses, spyware, etc.
- Do not download dubious attachments from emails or click on suspicious links. If you're unsure whether an email is fake, don't take any risks and contact the sender. If you are asked to allow a macro to run on a downloaded file, do not do so under any circumstances, but delete the file immediately. This way you will not give Emotet a chance to get on your computer in the first place.
- Back up your data regularly to an external storage device. In the event of an infection, you will always have a backup to fall back on and you will not lose all the data on your device.
- Use only strong passwords for all logins (online banking, email account, online stores). This means not the name of your first dog, but a random arrangement of letters, numbers, and special characters. You can either make these up yourself or have them generated by various programs. In addition, many programs nowadays offer the possibility of a two-factor authentication.
- File extensions: have your computer display file extensions by default. This allows you to detect dubious files such as „Photo123.jpg.exe". which tend to be malicious programs.
I think now you are all know that what is Emotet and how to protect ourselves against it. So our today's article is concluded here thank you for reading.!
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