From hand washing apps to symptom trackers, a number of handy apps have launched amid the coronavirus outbreak.
However, experts have warned about a fake Android coronavirus safety app that’s circulating, that can steal your phone contacts and private messages.
Researchers from ThreatLabZ discovered an app using the domain coronavirusapp[.]site , which claims it can notify you when anyone infected with the virus is nearby.
However, in reality, the app contains dangerous ransomware that allows it to read your contacts and even send text messages.
In a blog about the app, Shivang Desai, a researcher at ThreatLabZ, explained: “If the app is installed, it asks the user to click a button that leads to an online portal responsible for selling masks online.
“There's the threat that the malware could ask the victim to pay online for the mask and steal the credit card information, but we did not find any such functionality in the app.
“We believe the app is in its early stages and this (and other) functionalities will be added as the app is updated.”
Once the app has been downloaded, it collects your contacts, before sending them all a text message with a download link, in an effort to spread itself to more users.
Based on the findings, the researchers are urging users to be vigilant about the apps they download amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr Desai added: “During the coronavirus outbreak, it's important to protect yourself online just as it's important to protect your health."
Precautions to take
- Install apps only from official stores, such as Google Play or App Store
- Never click on unknown links received through ads, SMS messages, emails, or the like
- Never trust apps with claims that seem unrealistic. (There is no technology yet invented that can inform a user whether a coronavirus patient is nearby.)
- Always keep the "Unknown Sources" option disabled in the Android device. This disallows apps to be installed on your device from unknown sources
