Coronavirus Tracker Infects Smartphone with Ransomware

A coronavirus tracking application is actually infecting Android devices with ransomware, with owners then asked to pay a $100 ransom to have their smartphones unlocked.

Coronavirus trackers are particularly popular these days, as many users look for such apps to keep an eye on the virus outbreak, so it’s not necessarily a surprise that malicious actors are trying to use this growing demand for such apps for their own benefit.

That’s the purpose of an application called CovidLock, which launches a screen lock attack that changes the password used to protect the device – if no password is configured, then the ransomware automatically sets one, essentially locking the device.

Decryption key found

Researchers explain in an analysis performed by DomainTools that owners of compromised devices are required to pay a $100 ransom in Bit…