McAfee sees surge in mobile malware targeting COVID-19 vaccines
With most of the world still anxious about COVID-19 and demand for vaccines high, new McAfee research sheds light on how hackers are targeting these fears with bogus apps, text messages, and social media invitations.
Over the past year, the vaccine rollout has advanced at different rates across the globe, providing plenty of opportunities for hackers. McAfee Advanced Threat researchers found that hackers are hiding malware and malicious links inside fakes vaccination appointments and registration display ads. These have the potential to download malware onto a person’s device that displays unwanted ads, as well as activating accessibility features to give the hacker full device control, with the goal of stealing banking details and credentials. According to the research, some of these campaigns worryingly started as early as November last year, before any vaccines had officially been approved, while others continue to appear as countries roll out their vaccination programs in the fight against COVID-19.