The aim of such attacks is usually to force organisations to cease operations or to extort ransom money
Keystone / Sascha Steinbach
Several security bodies in Switzerland have been targeted by emails that appear to come from official organisations such as banks or the police and contain a password for a zip file. When this file is opened, the computer becomes infected with a trojan called Emotet.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ts
The Bern cantonal police force is one institution that has been affected, the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders of Switzerland said on Wednesday.
The aim of such attacks is usually to force organisations to cease operations or to extort ransom money.
Many of these emails are real emails that have fallen into the hands of the fraudsters and are now being resent by them, Zurich Cantonal Police warnedExternal link on Wednesday.
The malware – software designed to damage a computer or server – has been targeting organisations since Tuesday.
The police said that anyone who receives such an email should mark it as spam. The zip file must not be opened. Anyone who has already fallen for the scam must disconnect their computer from the network and switch it off. The network administrator should also be informed and the computer completely rebooted.
More
More
Switzerland sees more online crime amid coronavirus shock
This content was published on
Creative criminals are cashing in on the Covid-19 pandemic, tricking people out of their money online.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Prevention and tech could help save billions on Swiss healthcare costs, says Deloitte
This content was published on
By focusing on prevention and technology, it would be possible to reduce Switzerland's healthcare bill by CHF30 billion a year by 2040, according to Deloitte Switzerland.
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Cyber criminals pose as Swiss defence ministry
This content was published on
MELANIExternal link, the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance, warned on Thursday these messeages carry the computer virus “Retefe.” “Do not open attachments and immediately delete these emails,” recommended Max Klaus, deputy director of MELANI in remarks to Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA. The malicious Trojan horse virus allows fraudsters to access victims’ electronic banking (e-banking) credentials. …
This content was published on
Switzerland must do more to deal with the growing threat of cyber- attacks, the Swiss financial watchdog FINMA has warned.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.