25th March, 2020
The Federal Government on Tuesday warned Nigerians over the existence of an Android-based malicious and fraudulent coronavirus Ransomware application.
The warning was stated in a statement by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, signed by his Special Assistant, Segun Adeyemi.
Lai Mohammed stated that the Ransomware app claims to provide updates on COVID-19 and infections near the user but blocks access to users’ personal data and accounts and threatens deletion unless users pay $100 in Bitcoin within 48 hours.
He said the App, detected on the website www.coronavirusapp.site, “prompts users to download an Android App purportedly for coronavirus map tracking and heat map visuals.”
Mohammed noted that cybercriminals are seeking to exploit the growing spread of the virus for nefarious gains.
The minister, therefore, called on the general public not to download the Ransomware App and to seek updates on the pandemic only from the appropriate authorities.
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