With the Covid-19 outbreak, there are new APPS that seem to be useful – hand washing guides, latest news and statistics, virus trackers etc. Most of these are well intentioned but scammers create their own APPS that look similar but have malicious intent.
APPS on the official download sites are generally very safe as APPLE and Google and Microsoft verify new APPS, but there are many sites where you can download APPS that are not so safe.
Recently, Check Point reported more than 30,00 new Covid-19-related domains were registered recently of which 0.4% (131) were malicious and 9% (2,777) were suspicious and under investigation. This means over 51,000 Covid-19-related domains in total have been registered in 2020 so far. The majority of these websites are benign of course but some enable download of dangerous APPS.
Malicious APPS
ThreatLabZ have discovered an app which claims it can notify you when anyone infected with the virus is nearby. However, the app contains dangerous malware that allows it to read your contacts and even send text messages.
Once the app is installed, it asks the user to click a button that leads to a web site selling masks, but in fact the app collects your contacts, then sends them all a text message with a download link, in an effort to spread itself to more users.
Check Point Research has identified malicious applications, masquerading as innocuous Covid-19 apps, that are designed to take control of Android devices. Once the malicious application is installed, a hacker takes intrusive control of the device, accessing the owner’s calls, SMS, calendar, files, contacts, microphone and camera.
An Android app called “COVID19 Tracker” is an example of ransomware that hides itself as a real-time Covid-19 map tracker.
If a user grants the app access to certain phone settings, the ransomware is enabled and locks the user out of their phone unless they pay $100 in bitcoin to the hackers within 48 hours.
Surveillance APPS
Some governments use surveillance APPS and their population have to use them or else, but thankfully most developed countries don’t do this.
However, scammers will.
Security company Lookout discovered an Android app called “corona live 1.1,” which pretends to be the real “corona live” app and uses the Johns Hopkins Covid-19 tracking data – which a legitimate resource for tracking infection rates, death counts and recovery rates around the world.
People using the app thought they were keeping an eye on the pandemic, but the malicious app was actually tracking them and getting access to the device’s photos, videos, location and camera.
Only download apps directly from the Apple Store, or Android Play Store or Microsoft store as these are safety checked before being made available.
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