Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: A colleague’s practice had their network infected by emotet malware. We’re a small practice, but I’m worried about our network getting infected, too. What is emotet?

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Answer: Emotet is considered by Europol, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, to be the world’s most dangerous malware. It’s also known as Geodo or Heodo, says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Although it has been operational since 2014, an international coalition of law enforcement compromised its bot network in January 2021. Emotet is, however, again on the rise.

HHS says that the malware is often delivered via phishing, but may be transmitted through known vulnerabilities or brute force. Emotet is dominant among Trojans — malware that can disguise itself — especially in the healthcare industry. It is the fourth most targeted industry after manufacturing, education, and government.

For more information, see this HHS briefing from June 2.