Famous hackers may have used malware at some point in their cyber theft-filled lives. Most simply, a cybercriminal can send you a phishing email with no attachments and link—only text. This allows you to gain your trust, but once you click that malware disguised as a safe-looking file, then you’re in trouble.

Malware is malicious software that infects devices, such as your computer or phone, and the reason for infection will vary. These reasons could be for money, information, strategic advantages, and many more, all of which can affect your overall business operations, reputations, and the relationships you’ve built.

For this reason, if you’re experiencing a malware attack or you think your organization is a target for such horrible activity, it’s best to get cybersecurity threat intelligence to protect your business from these attacks.

Famous Cases of Malware Attacks

When it comes to understanding malware attacks, it’s best to dive into previous cases. This way, you’ll get to see how these malware attacks disguised themselves, where victims fell short, and how to prevent yourself from falling into these attacks.

• CovidLock (Ransomware, 2020): The fear that the COVID-19 pandemic brought in was exploited by cybercriminals. This malicious software promises to offer information about the disease, but instead, it encrypts your data and denies access. But the only way to get back your data is by paying a fee of USD100 per device.
• LockerGoga (Ransomware, 2019): This ransomware infected large corporations worldwide like Hydro and Altran Technologies. With this attack, it was estimated to have caused millions of dollars. LockerGoga infects devices through malicious emails, credential theft, and phishing scams. This attack is pretty dangerous since it completely blocks a victim’s access to their system.

• Petya (Ransomware, 2016): Petya blocks your machine’s entire operating system, and the only way to release it is by paying a ransom. Today, the estimated value of Petya losses had reached USD10 billion since its release about five years ago. Common businesses that fall for this trap are banks, oil companies, airports, shipping companies, and more.
• CryptoLocker (Ransomware, 2013): One of the most famous ransomware in history is the CryptoLocker and was released in 2013. This ransomware used a large encryption key that made it difficult for experts to penetrate. With this, it has caused USD 3 million worth of damages, infecting more than 200,00 Windows devices. Since an attack uses emails, it’s crucial to implement email security to avoid cases like this.
• ILOVEYOU (Worm, 2000): Sadly, this malware attack disguises itself as a love letter, and one can receive it via email. This worm infected over 45 million people in 2000, causing over USD15 billion in damages. ILOVEYOU is known to be the first of its kind in social engineering, and once you trigger it, it can self-replicate using the victim’s email.

The Bottom Line: Up Your Email Security to Avoid Cyber Attacks

Most malware attacks seem harmless at first, especially since you’re dealing with emails that look normal and not threatening at all. But one wrong move can bring your system down a difficult cycle, making it hard to recover from the damages it has integrated into your system. Because of this, you should have email security to help prevent attacks from happening and from keeping your business and customers safe.

How Can We Help You?

Are you looking to improve your business’s email security? If so, our team of experts can help you.

FraudWatch is a leading digital brand protection company and has protected various clients all over the world since 2003. Our team of experts specialize in phishing, malware, mobile app impersonation, social media, and more.