ESPecter was discovered on a compromised machine along with a user-mode client component with keylogging and document-stealing functionalities, which is why ESET Research believes ESPecter is mainly used for espionage.

66 percent of organizations surveyed reported significant loss of revenue after a ransomware attack, 53 percent of organizations indicated that their brand and reputation were damaged as a result of a successful attack, and 32 percent reported losing C-level talent as a direct result of ransomware attacks. 26 percent of organizations reported ransomware attacks forced their businesses to close temporarily.

Since July 17, 2020, Proofpoint researchers have closely tracked the latest series of Emotet campaigns by TA542. During the past 40 days or so of Emotet campaigns, we have seen consistency with past campaigns as well as some notable changes.