The Federal Government on Tuesday warned Nigerians over the existence of an Android-based malicious and fraudulent coronavirus Ransomware application, claiming to provide updates on COVID-19 and infections near the user.
According to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Mr Segun Adeyemi, the Ransomware blocks access to users’ personal data and accounts and threatens deletion, unless users pay $100 in Bitcoin within 48 hours.
He said further that the Ransomware App, detected on the website www.coronavirusapp.site, “prompts users to download an Android App purportedly for coronavirus map tracking and heat map visuals.”
The minister noted that the development has confirmed warnings against cybercriminals seeking to exploit the growing spread of the virus for nefarious gains, calling on the general public not to download the Ransomware App and to only seek updates on the pandemic from the appropriate authorities.