Security News > 2020 > February > Hackers using coronavirus scare to spread Emotet malware in Japan
Hackers are using global fears about the spread of the virus to target people in Japan with the Emotet trojan, a popular strain of malware that has been devastatingly effective at attacking governments and financial institutions.
Threat researchers with Kaspersky identified other attempts to spread Emotet using the coronavirus scare as a way to get people to open emails or files and share them.
Previous attempts to spread the Emotet malware in Japan focused primarily on the kind of corporate-style payment notifications and invoices that worked well in Europe.
A Japanese researcher on Twitter has been posting updates about other attempts by hackers to use the coronavirus to spread malware.
Dozens of security researchers said hackers using Emotet routinely use global news events to spread the malware, which can extract valuable data from people or upload malicious programs to your device.
News URL
Related news
- North Korean Hackers Target Energy and Aerospace Industries with New MISTPEN Malware (source)
- Chinese Hackers Exploit GeoServer Flaw to Target APAC Nations with EAGLEDOOR Malware (source)
- Hackers deploy AI-written malware in targeted attacks (source)
- N. Korean Hackers Deploy New KLogEXE and FPSpy Malware in Targeted Attacks (source)
- FIN7 hackers launch deepfake nude “generator” sites to spread malware (source)
- N. Korean Hackers Use Fake Interviews to Infect Developers with Cross-Platform Malware (source)
- North Korean Hackers Target Crypto Firms with Hidden Risk Malware on macOS (source)
- North Korean hackers use new macOS malware against crypto firms (source)
- Unpatched Mazda Connect bugs let hackers install persistent malware (source)
- North Korean Hackers Target macOS Using Flutter-Embedded Malware (source)