According to a recent report from europol fbi emotetpalmerzdnet (FBI), a botnet called EMOTET has been shut down and its infrastructure has been seized by investigators. This operation was the result of a cooperative effort involving authorities from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. It was coordinated by Europol and was carried out in the context of the European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats.
EMOTET is a Malware Botnet
Law enforcement authorities in the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands have successfully taken down the EMOTET malware botnet. The operation was a collaborative effort between authorities from all countries and was coordinated by Europol, the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats.
The botnet is a type of malware and it targets web servers. According to Krebs on Security, it affects hundreds of thousands of organizations, with more than 30,000 in the US alone. Once the vulnerability was publicly disclosed, the malicious activity spiked and several large multinational corporations reported attacks. In one case, ESET reported ten different APT groups planting web shells on over 5,000 Exchange servers. The attackers used the vulnerability to launch the DearCry ransomware and the Black Kingdom ransomware. Another case involved the Lemon_Duck crypto mining malware.
It is Responsible for 30% of Malware Attacks
Cybercriminals have used malware known as Emotet to make millions of dollars by attacking individuals and businesses around the world. They use polymorphic techniques to avoid detection by anti-virus software and constantly update their code. They also use Emotet infrastructure to spread malware from one computer to another.
Emotet started out as a banking trojan but later pivoted to a crime-for-rent system that grew large collections of compromised devices. They then used their illicit access to networks to launch phishing campaigns that infect thousands of people. Emotet often contains a Word document with malicious macros, which allows cybercriminals to take control of the targeted system.
The takedown of Emotet follows two years of coordinated law enforcement operations around the world. The cybercriminals responsible for this ransomware are currently being tracked.
It is Responsible for Stealing E-Mail Addresses, Usernames and Passwords
Recently, the Dutch National Police has revealed that they have discovered a database of e-mail addresses, usernames and other passwords that were stolen from a number of sites. These bogus accounts have been selling their stolen data on the dark web. In April, it was reported that 500,000 stolen accounts were listed on a website. Earlier this year, a cybercrime group called EMOTET was arrested. They released the information to CERTs, which are organizations that deal with computer security issues.
Several million email addresses were compromised by the malware attacks and the FBI is attempting to inform the owners of these email addresses in a simple manner. It is working with Have I Been Pwned, a data breach notification service, to provide a fast and convenient way to check if their addresses were compromised.
Several law enforcement agencies across Europe and the United States have joined forces to disrupt the Emotet botnet. They have also seized the infrastructure that Emotet used to steal user credentials. This action was the result of a coordinated effort between law enforcement agencies from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. In addition, Europol is coordinating this operation with the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats to protect the public.
It is Scheduled to Uninstall Itself
The German federal criminal police, known as the BKA, has announced that it is taking steps to stop the spread of the Emotet malware. The action involves the removal of the Emotet malware from computers and replacing it with a law enforcement file. The reinstallation of the malware should be a relatively simple process, but the removal process can be a lengthy process.
A law enforcement file distributed to the botnet will prevent its administrators from communicating with the infected computers. The file will also stop the botnet from installing additional malware on the computers. As the botnet is scheduled to uninstall itself on April 25, law enforcement agencies are working to make sure no one else is able to use it.
The removal of the Emotet malware comes two years after it was first identified. It was regarded as the largest malware botnet in the past decade and was responsible for the spread of banking trojans and ransomware. Its recent takedown marks the most significant action against a malware operation in recent years. By disrupting its infrastructure from the inside, law enforcement agencies were able to stop the spread of the Emotet malware.
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