The malware, Emotet, gained access to users’ computers through infected email attachments, including documents purporting to be «invoices, shipping notices and information about Covid-19,» European police agency Europol, which coordinated the effort, said in a statement Wednesday.
«The Emotet infrastructure essentially acted as a primary door opener for computer systems on a global scale,» Europol said. «Once this unauthorised access was established, these were sold to other top-level criminal groups to deploy further illicit activities such as data theft and extortion.»
Europol urged internet users to update their device’s antivirus tools and exercise greater caution to avoid falling prey to malware attacks.
«Users should carefully check their email and avoid opening messages and especially attachments from unknown senders,» it said. «If a message seems too good to be true, it likely is and emails that implore a sense of urgency should be avoided at all costs.»
