European authorities remove “most dangerous” malware

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Malicious software, Emotet, accessed users’ computers via infected email attachments, including documents purported to be “invoices, shipping notices and information about Covid-19,” the European police agency said on Wednesday. Europol, which coordinated the effort.

“The Emotet infrastructure acted essentially as a major driver of computer systems on a global scale,” Europol said. “Once this unauthorized access was established, they were sold to other top-level criminal groups for engaging in illicit activities such as data theft and extortion.”

The global effort to disrupt and take control of the compromised network, known as the botnet, was carried out jointly by eight countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. The network consisted of several hundred servers around the world, Europol said.
An investigation by Dutch police obtained a database of email addresses, passwords and usernames that Emotet committed to. Users can check if their email addresses have been breached through this link.
Malicious software resurfaced last year, according to the U.S. Agency for Security and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure (CISA), which described “a significant increase in malicious cyber actors targeting state and local governments” with emails from fishing with Emotet. “This increase has made Emotet one of the most frequent ongoing threats, “CISA added.

Europol urged Internet users to update their device’s antivirus tools and take extra precautions to prevent malware attacks.

“Users should carefully review their email and avoid opening messages and especially attachments from unknown senders,” he said. “If a message seems too good to be true, it’s likely that emails imploring a sense of urgency should be avoided at all costs.”

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