{"id":12575,"date":"2021-01-28T11:20:17","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T11:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=12575"},"modified":"2021-01-28T11:20:17","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T11:20:17","slug":"how-germans-helped-destroy-emotet-a-massive-computervirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/how-germans-helped-destroy-emotet-a-massive-computervirus\/","title":{"rendered":"How Germans Helped Destroy Emotet, A Massive Computervirus"},"content":{"rendered":"

The virus is defeated! Well, not that one. I’m talking about a rampant Computervirus\u00a0<\/em>(computer virus) called “Emotet” that was responsible for 30% of Schadsoftware <\/i>(malware) attacks worldwide. Here’s briefly what happened, and how Germans talk about computers and computer viruses in their language!<\/p>\n

Was ist Emotet<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Image by Michael Geiger at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

To be fair, Emotet was not really a Computervirus<\/em>, but it more started as a Trojaner <\/em>(Trojan) and then grew into a Botnetz\u00a0<\/em>(botnet) that distributed all kinds of\u00a0Schadsoftware<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Here’s how the Tagesschau<\/a> describes what Emotet is:<\/p>\n

\n

“Europol nannte die Software “eines der gef\u00e4hrlichsten Instrumente f\u00fcr Cyber-Attacken der letzten Jahre”. 2014 war “Emotet” zun\u00e4chst als sogenannter Trojaner aufgetaucht.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Die ‘Emotet’-Infrastruktur funktionierte im Kern wie ein erster T\u00fcr\u00f6ffner in Computer-Systeme auf weltweiter Ebene”, so die Beh\u00f6rde. “Das System konnte auf einzigartige Weise ganze Netzwerke infizieren, nur durch den Zugang zu ein paar wenigen Apparaten.” \u00dcber ein Word-Dokument, h\u00e4ufig getarnt als harmlos wirkender Anhang einer E-Mail oder auch als Link, wurde in das System eingebrochen, schilderte Europol.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sobald der illegale Zugang gelungen war, wurde dieser an Cyber-Kriminelle verkauft. Diese konnten wiederum eigene Trojaner einschleusen, um etwa an Bankdaten zu gelangen, erbeutete Daten weiterzuverkaufen oder aber L\u00f6segeld f\u00fcr blockierte Daten zu erpressen.”<\/em><\/p>\n

(Europol called the software “one of the most dangerous tools for cyber attacks in recent years”. In 2014, “Emotet” first appeared as a so-called Trojan.<\/p>\n

“The ‘Emotet’ infrastructure basically functioned like the first door opener in computer systems on a global level,” said the authority. “The system could infect entire networks in a unique way, just by accessing a few devices.” A Word document, often disguised as a seemingly harmless attachment to an e-mail or as a link, was used to break into the system, said Europol.<\/p>\n

As soon as the illegal access was gained, it was sold to cyber criminals. These in turn could smuggle in their own Trojans in order to obtain bank details, to sell stolen data or to extort a ransom for blocked data.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And now this software was taken down. That’s a huge deal, because the estimated Schaden\u00a0<\/em>(damage) caused by the network is 2.5 billion dollars. A Dutch- and German-led coalition of security services took it down in about a week of work with more than two years of preparation. And in Germany, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA)\u00a0<\/em>(Federal Criminal Police Office), the German FBI equivalent, took over 17\u00a0Server\u00a0<\/em>(servers) that were connected to Emotet.<\/p>\n

Especially since the beginning of the COVID pandemic<\/a>,\u00a0Schadsoftware-Attacken\u00a0<\/em>(malware attacks) have risen significantly. That makes sense, as many organisations built\u00a0digitale Infrastruktur\u00a0<\/em>(digital infrastructure) so that their employees could Homeoffice machen <\/em>(work from home)<\/a>. So a lot more\u00a0Computer\u00a0<\/em>(computers) were exposed.<\/p>\n

But no more!?<\/p>\n

Well, even if this was a huge\u00a0Schritt vorw\u00e4rts\u00a0<\/em>(step forward), the takedown likely leaves a gap in the market that will be filled sooner or later. So don’t let your guard down and be careful with opening emails, attachment and links!<\/p>\n

Some\u00a0Computervirus<\/em>-related Vocabulary<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Image by Massimo Botturi at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Here’s some Computervirus<\/em>-related German vocabulary!<\/p>\n

der\/das Computervirus\u00a0<\/strong>– computer virus (two articles? Yes, it’s weird, and unusual<\/a>)<\/p>\n

der Computer, der Rechner <\/strong>– computer<\/p>\n

die Informationstechnologie (IT)\u00a0<\/strong>– information technology (IT)<\/p>\n

die IT-Abteilung<\/strong> – IT department<\/p>\n

das IT-System\u00a0<\/strong>– IT system<\/p>\n

der Server<\/strong> – server<\/p>\n

die Cloud\u00a0<\/strong>– cloud<\/p>\n

der Streamingdienst <\/strong>– streaming service (almost always used in the plural\u00a0die Streamingdienste<\/em>)<\/p>\n

das s<\/strong>oziale Netzwerk\u00a0<\/strong>– social network<\/p>\n

die sozialen Medien\u00a0<\/strong>– social media<\/p>\n

mit einem (Computer)Virus infizieren <\/strong>– to infect with a (computer) virus<\/p>\n

die Schadsoftware\u00a0<\/strong>– malware<\/p>\n

der Hacker\u00a0<\/strong>– hacker<\/p>\n

die Sicherheitsl\u00fccke\u00a0<\/strong>– security breach<\/p>\n

die Datei\u00a0<\/strong>– file<\/p>\n

die Daten\u00a0<\/strong>– data<\/p>\n

die pers\u00f6nlichen Daten\u00a0<\/strong>– personal data<\/p>\n

programmieren\u00a0<\/strong>– to program<\/p>\n

die Cybersicherheit\u00a0<\/strong>– cyber security<\/p>\n

das Passwort\u00a0<\/strong>– password<\/p>\n

ein Passwort aussp\u00e4hen\u00a0<\/strong>– to spy out a password<\/p>\n

das Verzeichnis<\/strong> – directory<\/p>\n

der E-Mail-Anhang<\/strong> – email attachment<\/p>\n

Klicke nicht den Link! <\/strong>– Don’t click the link!<\/p>\n

ein Passwort geheimhalten <\/strong>– to keep a password secret<\/p>\n

Teilen Sie Ihr Benutzername und Passwort mit niemandem\u00a0<\/strong>– Don’t share your username and password with anybody<\/p>\n

Further Watching<\/strong><\/h1>\n

There probably isn’t a better place to see German internet experts talk about their field than the\u00a0Chaos Computer Club<\/em><\/a>. This association has been at the forefront of many data and security IT issues in Germany. It is the largest European hacker association (don’t worry, they’re the good kind of hackers!). This talk<\/a> explaining Emotet is very insightful how the mix of English computer terms and German go together.<\/p>\n

Have you been affected by this\u00a0Schadsoftware<\/em>? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

The virus is defeated! Well, not that one. I’m talking about a rampant Computervirus\u00a0(computer virus) called “Emotet” that was responsible for 30% of Schadsoftware (malware) attacks worldwide. Here’s briefly what happened, and how Germans talk about computers and computer viruses in their language! Was ist Emotet? To be fair, Emotet was not really a Computervirus…<\/p>\n

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