Specifically, reports state that the coronavirus live map has been multiple times hacked, by hackers who are selling malware claiming to compromise the map and infect users.
As a result, Johns Hopkins spokeswoman Jill Rosen said the university is aware of the malware that impersonates its COVID-19 site, and warned users to only trust the maps at its own site and one maintained by ArcGIS. The malware requires users to download software to generate the fake map, Rosen quoted to MarketWatch.
In addition, KrebsonSecurity notes that in late February, a member of several Russian language cybercrime forums began selling a digital Coronavirus infection kit that uses the Hopkins interactive map as part of a Java-based malware deployment scheme.
The kit costs $200 if the buyer already has a Java code signing certificate, and $700 if the buyer wishes to just use the seller’s certificate.
Overall, it has been stated that cyber crime has been dramatically increased, as BBC also reported the rise of phishing emails after tracking down "campaigns" asking for money and personal data, taking advantage of the COVID-19 fears and doubt.
