Yemisi Izuora
The Federal Government has alerted Nigerians to the existence of an
Android-based malicious and fraudulent Coronavirus Ransomware
Application, which claims to provide updates on the virus and
infections near the user.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information
and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Ransomware blocks access to
users’ personal data and accounts and threatens deletion, unless users
pay One Hundred US Dollars ($100) in Bitcoin within 48 hours.
He said 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.
Alhaji Mohammed said the development confirms warnings against cyber
criminals seeking to exploit the growing spread of the virus for
nefarious gains.
He therefore called on the general public not to download the
Ransomware App and to seek updates on the pandemic only from the
appropriate authorities.