What the Coronavirus and Trojans Have in Common | Antivirus Software

We are currently hearing the worldwide effects of the coronavirus in the media on a daily basis. The way in which the virus spreads has many parallels with the way computer viruses work - their name is no coincidence. In this article, we take a closer look at this analogy.

Analog and Digital Viruses: Numerous Parallels

The coronavirus outbreak shows how quickly a virus can spread and how important appropriate protective measures are. The same applies to digital viruses: once in circulation, Trojans and malware can spread very quickly. This is particularly evident in the most sensational cyber incidents.

For example, the WannaCry ransomware paralyzed numerous systems worldwide in just one day and infected around 200,000 systems in 150 countries within a few days and weeks since it first appeared on May 12, 2017. Companies of all industries and sizes were affected, as well as authorities and critical infrastructures such as hospitals - the computer virus made no difference here.

But as we currently know from the news about the corona crisis, there are also certain “risk groups” with computer viruses, for which an infection has even more far-reaching consequences. Due to the infection with the Trojan Emotet, at the end of 2018, for example, a German clinic had to cease operations as far as possible, switch off devices and pause emergency service acceptance. 

All of these points and in particular aspects such as the speed of spreading and spreading across national borders show some parallels to the current processes of the corona epidemic. 

Know the Ways of Infection in Order to Avoid Infection

As with analog viruses, computer viruses also have certain types of infection. The most widespread method is the automated sending of spam e-mails that prompt you to enter sensitive data or click on an infected link or attachment. For example, data is either queried directly, which is then used for further criminal activities, or malware is installed on the system via the link or attachment.

These spam emails are currently showing another connection to the corona pandemic: They use the topic to get users to click or take action. These fake coronavirus-related emails show how cybercriminals are exploiting the coronavirus fear. The BSI (Federal Office for Information Security) has therefore published an official warning against these e-mails.

Similar to an analog virus, it is important to know how the infection works with computer viruses. Only then can you take effective countermeasures and protect yourself against infection in the best possible way. In the case of digital viruses, there are technical measures such as antivirus software on the one hand, but also action measures such as raising awareness of fake e-mails and the secure handling of passwords and sensitive data.

Automated Dissemination and Correct Behavior

Most computer viruses spread automatically. That means: If a system is infected, it automatically distributes the virus to the networked systems and/or via the mail program. All it takes to get infected is one click. Computer viruses are now making extensive use of social engineering techniques that are designed to induce users to act that then sets the entire chain of infection in motion.

Cybercriminals target the supposedly weakest link in the security chain. This means that similar to the coronavirus currently about using our behavior to slow down infections, user behavior is an extremely important aspect when protecting against computer viruses. For companies, this means: Raising employees' awareness of and educating them about IT and information security is one of the most important tasks for effective protection of one's own systems. 

Virus Mutations Also Exist Digitally: for Example Emotet

Another parallel between analog and digital viruses is the issue of mutation. The coronavirus was identified for the first time by the Robert Koch Institute in the mid-1960s. We are currently struggling with the Covid-19 mutation. This “behavior” also applies to computer viruses. A current example is Emotet Trojan.

Originally, this malware was used to specifically spy out banking access data. However, since Emotet was first discovered in 2014, the Trojan has "mutated" several times and is now distributing extremely authentic-looking spam emails that are automated and very quickly machine-learning. Emotet acts as a “door opener” and then loads malware and ransomware onto the affected system.

The dangerous thing about Emotet is that the spam emails are often neither clearly identifiable as such, neither for the system nor for the user. Because the emails appear in response to a previous email conversation and look amazingly real. At the moment Emotet is developing a particular problem through the awareness of the coronavirus, as we highlighted in our last blog post " Coronavirus and Emotet: An explosive mixture ".

Protective Measures: Technical, Organizational, and Your Own Behavior

The recommended measures and also the binding rules for containing the coronavirus relate primarily to your own actions. Regular hand washing, observance of sneezing etiquette, two-meter distance to other people, avoidance of contact - all measures that affect the behavior of each individual person. At the same time, organizational measures such as curbing travel and much more. met.

Measures at several levels are also required when protecting against computer viruses. Technically, for example, current virus protection programs ensure basic protection, organizational guidelines for regular updates and backups as well as the establishment of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for secure server access from public networks are required in organizational terms. However, these measures cannot prevent infection even if the end-user clicks on an infected link.

That is why raising awareness and educating employees is one of the most important measures for effective IT and information protection in companies. There is, unfortunately, no one hundred percent protection against viruses - whether analog or digital - but with the appropriate measures, their spread can be limited and the risk of infection reduced.