Opportunistic hackers use the public fear of Coronavirus to distribute ransomware software. In general, this phenomenon is based on websites or applications that claim to provide coronavirus information or services.
According to Check Point cyber threat analysts, coronavirus-related web domains have a 50% probability of being managed by hackers compared to other websites.
As of January 2020, the company estimates that over 4,000 domain names referring to coronavirus have been registered globally. Of these, 3% have already been identified as malicious and 5% are considered “suspicious”.
On March 11, the UK Financial Conduct Authority warned of a proliferation of coronavirus scams. According to the National Bureau of Fraud Information (NFIB), many harmful sites offer maps and views that track the spread of coronavirus.
“They claim that they can provide the recipient with a list of people infected with coronavirus in their area. In order to access this information, the victim must click on a link, which leads to a website that infects them with malware or is required to make a payment in Bitcoin. ”
CovidLock – A new type of ransomware
An example is the coronavirusapp.site application, which facilitates the installation of a new ransomware called “CovidLock”.
The site invites visitors to install an Android application that involves tracking updates on the spread of COVID-19. The app claims to announce users when a person infected with coronavirus is in their vicinity.
CovidLock ransomware launches a phone screen lock attack and asks for $ 100 in Bitcoin to unlock the device. Otherwise, victims are threatened that all data on the phone will be deleted.
Researchers at DomainTools said they have identified the decryption keys for CovidLock and will post the information publicly.
NFIB estimates that coronavirus scams have already cheated the British public by about $ 1 million.
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