The Underbelly of COVID-19: New Variants of Malware and Ransomware Ramp Up

C ybercriminals are known to leverage on global phenomenon for personal gain, be it the elections or the Olympic Games. And COVID-19 is no different. Scammers are using the pandemic to capitalize on a public scare that is already dire.

Hackers are using social engineering tools to formulate phishing emails in the name of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other regulatory bodies to target vulnerable victims. These phishing emails contain documents with embedded links that result in malware and ransomware attacks.

Here are some of the COVID-19-themed malware and ransomware:

1. CovidLock: The security team at DomainTools discovered a domain (coronavirusapp[.]site), which claims to have a real-time Coronavirus Tracker. It poses as a download site for an Android app that maps the spread of the virus across the globe. However, the app has a hidden ransomware application named “CovidLock” that threatens to delete contacts, pictures and videos on the victims’ device if a ransom of $100 in Bitcoin is not paid within 48 hours.

Source : The Underbelly of COVID-19: New Variants of Malware and Ransomware Ramp Up