Emotet Malware: Definition, Damage, Defense & Prevention

What's the world's most dangerous computer virus? Ask security experts, and most would start talking about Emotet malware. 

Attackers created Emotet to steal banking data. But in time, hackers expanded their capabilities and added new features to this already lethal virus. The result was malware capable of theft on an almost-impossible-to-imagine scale.

Hackers also used Emotet to install other forms of malware, as long as someone paid them enough to do so. And Emotet spread rapidly and was almost impossible to detect. 

We're talking about the Emotet virus in the past tense because an international group of programmers and law enforcement officials disrupted the scheme in early 2021. 

But don't relax just yet. 

Emotet has been through multiple iterations, and people have studied its format and functionality. Somewhere, a hacker is likely building a new and better version of this same threat. It's wise to know what to watch for and develop your security plans accordingly.

The history of Emotet 

In early 2020, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency called Emotet one of the most costly and destructive