It has been reported by the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) that they have received dozens of confirmed reports of a malicious email virus or malware called ‘Emotet’ which has already infected various sectors across the Australian economy.
What is Emotet?
The Emotet malware will disguise itself as a website hyperlink or regular file attachment in an email (.doc, .docx, .PDF), that will include hidden code that enables cybercriminals to gain control of your computer and other devices, often leading to the deployment of ransomware.
This type of malware will only infect your computer or other devices if users click on those hyperlinks or open the file attachments. Please be aware that these emails are very sophisticated and are tailored to look like they were sent from a person you know or an organisation you have a relationship with.
Following any clicked link or opened attachment, that individual’s account will become infected and the Emotet malware will forward on to all of the individual’s email contacts – leading to potential further infection.
Staying safe
The ACSC highly recommends you use caution before opening emails, attachments and clicking on hyperlinks.
To prevent an Emotet malware infection the ACSC suggests you follow these steps:
- Disable Microsoft macros (these are small programs designed to automate simple tasks in Microsoft documents but can be used maliciously. Microsoft has advice on disabling macros for your version of Office.
- Maintain all firewalls.
- Backup all your information offline
The ACSC recommends that business owners alert all staff of any emails that looks unusual or suspicious. There is further information about Emotet malware here.
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