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Fake COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Apps

Beware of Fake Coronavirus Smartphone Apps

An Android app, advertised as a coronavirus tracker, mimics the display of the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Research Center main page but also installs spyware into the phone.1  


A similar app was offered from a malicious site that mirrored live data from a legitimate website and added a banner urging viewers to download the malware.  If a person was tricked into downloading the malware, the malware would lock the person's phone and present the user with a ransom demand.2



  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/03/18/coronavirus-scam-alert-covid-19-map-malware-can-spy-on-you-through-your-android-microphone-and-camera/#5857d81c75fd
  2. https://abcnews.go.com/US/online-scammers-target-vulnerable-internet-users-coronavirus-outbreak/story?id=69675134
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Posted: March 25, 2020, 11:57 AM