ESET researchers dissect an Android app that masquerades as an official COVID-19 contact-tracing app and encrypts files on the victim’s device
New ransomware CryCryptor has been targeting Android users in Canada, distributed via two websites under the guise of an official COVID-19 tracing app provided by Health Canada. ESET researchers analyzed the ransomware and created a decryption tool for the victims.
CryCryptor surfaced just a few days after the Canadian government officially announced its intention to back the development of a nation-wide, voluntary tracing app called COVID Alert. The official app is due to be rolled out for testing in the province of Ontario as soon as next month.
ESET informed the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security about this threat as soon as it was identified.
Figure 1. One of the malicious distribution websites; the other one has identical design and differs only in its domain, covid19tracer[.]ca.
Once the user falls victim to CryCryptor, the ransomware encrypts the files on the device – all the most common types of files – but instead of locking the device, it leaves a “readme” file with the attacker’s email in every directory with encrypted files.
Fortunately, we were able to create a decryption tool for those who fall victim to this ransomware.
After we spotted the tweet that brought this ransomware to our radar (the researcher who discovered it mistakenly labeled the malware as a banking trojan), we analyzed the app. We discovered a bug of the type “Improp ..
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