Emotet: Law Enforcement Breaks Up Huge Botnet
Europol and the FBI have jointly brought down a botnet with Emotet malware. The Trojan network has been active for more than two years. Also in Switzerland. Most recently, the Kapo Bern was also affected.
Together, the FBI and Europol have taken control of a massive botnet infrastructure and this downed. According to a Europol spokesman, "Emotet" was one of the most "dangerous tools" for cyberattacks in recent years so far.
At that time, Emotet was already circulating as a malware. Last warned also the Schwez National Center for Cybersecurity (NCSC, formerly Melani) before the Malscam emails.
Active for over two years
In recent months, Emotet has often been used in fake e-mails with the sender "Cantonal Police" or a supposedly public administration. In most cases, Emotet appears in the attachment of mails as a password-protected zip file or as a Word document. As soon as illegal access to a system was possible, it was sold on to cybercriminals in the network so that they could infiltrate their own Trojans again.
According to Europol, the international investigators have now brought the infrastructure of the entire cyberware network under control and shut it down. The operation lasted more than two years and eight countries were involved in the investigation.
The malware was also hidden in fake invoices or alleged information about Covid-19. In January, the Bern Cantonal Police was among those affected. Mails were sent that at first glance appeared to be from the Kapo Bern, but on closer inspection usually showed unauthentic sender addresses.
Source: Europol
