“The world will definitely be a safe place now that Emotet has been temporarily neutralized, but unfortunately it is not the ultimate solution to the problem. It seems that the really big fish behind the Emotet operation were not caught. A comment from Chester Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist at Sophos.
It is very likely that the unconcerned backers will build a new infrastructure and sooner or later resume their machinations as usual. Given the massive profits associated with their previous cybercrime activities, they could also simply choose to retire. Only time can tell.
Caught: Emotet and Netwalker too
The Netwalker Syndicate was also causing a great stir. In contrast to Emotet, the ransomware only targeted a small number of organizations, but the damage was still enormous. The media reports suggest that Canadian police arrested at least one suspect, but it is unclear what role that person actually played in the Netwalker system. Since the ransomware was distributed through an affiliate program, it is entirely possible as the arrest is just a middleman and not a major player.
Regardless of the fate of any malware gang, the cybercrime world abhors a vacuum. Wherever there is the opportunity to profit from mass infections and sell the data loot to others, or to reap the criminal fruits of a carefully planned ransomware attack, there will always be another cybercriminal who dreams of filling that void and that To make a profit.
“We must remain vigilant”
The news of the Emotet and Netwalker break-up is great news, and we can be proud of the accelerating pace of law enforcement action against cyber criminals. But we have to stay vigilant. We have only made a dent in their armor of the cybercrime world, the criminals affected will either return or be replaced by other teams - all with the ambition to cause the greatest possible damage and reap maximum profits. "
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