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.
Making this known in a statement 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.
Alhaji Mohammed added 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 said that the development confirms warnings against cyber criminals seeking to exploit the growing spread of the virus for nefarious gains.
While calling on the general public not to download the Ransomware App, Alhaji Mohammed urged Nigerians to seek updates on the pandemic only from the appropriate authorities.
