Opswat’s MetaDefender advanced threat prevention solution can shut down opportunities for Emotet — named by the US Department of Homeland Security as one of the most costly and harmful trojans — to infect customer devices and networks.
That’s according to Opswat’s Ngoc Nguyen, who points out that the Emotet malware emerged in 2014 but is still a top threat. An Emotet botnet disrupted by US authorities in January infected at least 1.6m computers and caused millions of dollars of losses to victims worldwide, with some incidents costing up to $1m each to remediate.
„The primary distribution method for Emotet is through spam emails containing malicious attachments or hyperlinks. Various lures are used to trick victims into opening infected attachments or clicking on malicious links,“ confirms Nguyen.
However, Opswat Metascan quickly scans files and emails sent to an organisation, using multiple anti-malware engines enabling the detection of over 99% of known malware, she says.
Even if this sophisticated evasive malware bypasses anti-malware engines, it is completely neutralised by Opswat Deep Content Disarm and Reconstruction technology (Deep CDR). All files, emails, attachments including password-protected archives, are recursively sanitised before being released to end-users, according to Nguyen.
“ As of December 2020, [Emotet] was the world’s most prevalent malware, affecting seven percent of organisations across the globe,“ says Nguyen.
„By our multiscanning technology, 22 out of 37 anti-malware engines successfully detected the malware. If you use a single anti-malware engine and it cannot detect the malware, your computer will be infected. Research shows that as more anti-malware engines are added, malware detection rates improve.“
In addition, analysing Emotet malware with Opswat Sandbox unveiled malicious activity within three minutes. The Sandbox technology detonates the malware in a controlled environment, exposing malicious behavior by recording and classifying file behaviour, Nguyen says.
The cybersecurity vendor has been working to expand its channel programme worldwide, aiming its eight MetaDefender and MetaAccess platform offerings at VARs, MSPs, integrators and security resellers looking to expand their cyberprotection portfolios.
Alessandro Porro, vice president of global channels at Opswat, says that the company grew channel partner coverage 25% last quarter — and is seeking to expand coverage by another 50% this year.
„The true testament for our growth is not only the demand for our solutions, but the increased investment in new tools, joint marketing programs, specialised training courses, and a global team of account managers and support professionals to help quickly onboard new partners and expand business for existing partners,“ Porro says.
Opswat has also just expanded its Opswat Academy cybersecurity training programme to address skill gaps for critical infrastructure protection professionals.
( Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash )