Coronavirus is a boon for hackers. According to the researchers, hackers are taking advantage of the panic caused by the epidemic to spread dangerous malware on the computers of Japanese internet users. Among the viruses spotted is Emotet, a Trojan capable of installing ransomware without the knowledge of its victims.
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IBM cybersecurity researchers, X-Force Exchange, warn of the spread of malicious email containing malware in Japan. In a press release received on January 31, Kaspersky researchers also spoke of the emergence of the threat. To put the vigilance of Internet users to sleep, emails are disguised as official recommendations issued by Japanese health agencies and centers. These newsletters provide tips for stemming the coronavirus epidemic from China. The pirates notably mention cases of infections officially proven in provinces near their victims.
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Do not open attachments from unknown recipients
To access the recommendations, Internet users are invited to download the attached files and open them with Microsoft Word. Unsurprisingly, the attached files do not offer recommendations or advice to protect yourself from the disease. “The malicious files discovered were present in several formats (pdf, mp4 and docx), and mentioned in their name coronavirus” explains Kaspersky in its press release. According to Kaspersky, “These files contain in fact a large number of threats, horses of Three like computer worms, capable of destroying, blocking, modifying or copying data, and also of interfering with the operations in progress, on computers as well as networks. ”
IBM researchers point in particular Emotet malware, a Trojan that has been particularly widespread in the world since 2014. Emotet has notably been spotted on multiple occasions on Android smartphones. Once infiltrated on your computer, Emotet malware will remotely download malware of all types, including ransomware. The software ransom will then siphon all the data from your PC. To recover your files, victims will have to pay a ransom in cryptocurrencies. In the process, Emotet will also transfer fraudulent attachments to all contacts recovered on the computer of its victims.
Soon in Europe?
So far, malicious emails taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis have only been spotted in Japan. X-Force Exchange experts believe hackers will soon declare their campaign in other languages. “It is quite common for hackers to exploit basic human emotions such as fear – especially if a global event already causes terror and panic” warns IBM.
Kaspersky agrees. “So far we have identified 10 different files, but their number could grow as the news gets bigger and bigger in the media. Because people are concerned about their health, they are more likely to research it, which could lead to an increase in the number of malware hidden in fake coronavirus documents. ” adds Anton Ivanov, analyst at Kaspersky.
Source: IBM
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