Emotet malware is back, this time exploiting current coronavirus scare to trick users

Current happenings are often taken advantage of for various purposes but one of the latest is certainly deplorable. Reports of a new malware campaign have surfaced in Japan, using the current fear of the coronavirus to fool users into opening malware-infected email attachments.

According to Bleepingcomputer, the Emotet group is likely responsible for this new malware campaign. IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence first noticed that stolen email accounts were sending emails claiming that people who have been infected by the virus were detected. These emails come with an attached word document that has the malware inside. If downloaded and opened, the attached Word document would attempt to trick the user into enabling Macros, then download and install the Emotet malware.

A sample email (in Japanese) that had an Emotet-infected attachment

If you've received any email claiming to have info about the coronavirus, make sure you check with the email account's owner before downloading any attachments. With that said, have you received any emails like that and know what it looks like? Do let us know on our Facebook page so we can spread awareness of this. For other news, remember to stay tuned to TechNave.com.