The Emotet banking Trojan was first identified by security researchers in 2014. Emotet was originally designed as a banking malware that attempted to sneak onto your computer and steal sensitive and private information. Later versions of the software saw the addition of spamming and malware delivery services—including other banking Trojans. The Emotet banking Trojan was first identified by security researchers in 2014. Emotet was originally designed as a banking malware that attempted to sneak onto your computer and steal sensitive and private information. Later versions of the software saw the addition of spamming and malware delivery services—including other banking Trojans.

How does it work?

Emotet predominantly spreads via email scams containing malware. It uses infected attachments, usually Word or Excel documents, in these emails. Once opened, these infected attachments install Emotet malware onto your device. Emotet malware onto your device. It sends itself to your friends and family. This is called thread hijacking.

Here are some examples of Emotet in the real world

The US Department of Homeland Security identifies Emotet as highly dangerous malware with an equally expensive outlay to repair. The cost of dealing with each incident is estimated to be around $1 million.