Willing to book a COVID-19 vaccination slot then you will be careful about the fake vaccine registration apps available over the internet. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) also warns users about such fake apps masquerading as Cowin.
The CERT-in warned its users about the fake Cowin apps that are spreading over the internet and gaining illegal access. The SMS spreading claims users to get themselves registered for the COVID-19 vaccine. The CERT-in reported that the language of the SMS changes each time. It also includes one of the five APK links that the CERT-IN has warned users about. Some of the APK files that are –
- Covid-19.apk,
- vaci_regis.apk,
- myvaccine_v2.apk,
- cov-regis.apk,
- vccin-apply.apk.
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CERT-in said in its advisory that “The SMS carries a link that installs the malicious app on Android-based devices, which essentially spreads itself via SMS to victims’ contacts. The app also gains unnecessary permissions that attackers could leverage to acquire user data such as contact list.”
The SMS convinces users to download any of these APK links. Notably, these APK links redirect the user to Apple App Store or Google Play Store. CERT-In has urged users to “beware about phishing and fake domains, emails, text messages and phone calls which falsely claim covid vaccine registrations.”
