Hackers exploiting Coronavirus fear via ‘CovidLock’ Ransomware

Researchers have identified a website that facilitates the installation of a new ransomware

Nefarious actors leave no stone unturned in exploiting their victims, and the current environment of fear and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic provides them with just the right opportunity. Cybersecurity researchers at DomainTools have recently discovered a website coronavirusapp.site, which facilitates the installation of a new ransomware called “CovidLock.”

According to the company, researchers observed a minor uptick in domain names leveraging Coronavirus and COVID-19. As the numbers of cases have escalated from the pandemic, these domain registrations have peaked and many of them are scams. DomainTools team has been consistently monitoring these suspicious domains.

As the general population becomes more anxious and go online to find more information about the disease, hackers have banked on this opportunity to dupe them into installing ransomware. The website in question described above prompts visitors to install an Android application that apparently provides them info on infected individuals in their area with the help of heatmap visuals.