By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Federal Government has warned Nigerians against downloading Coronavirus Ransomware
Application, urging them to instead, seek updates on the pandemic only from the
appropriate authorities.
This warning was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant To The President Office of The Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi.
The statement reads:
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.
Segun Adeyemi
Special Assistant To The President
Office of The Minister of Information and Culture
Abuja.
