The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has cautioned against a money lending app “MoneyMonger” malware used by hackers to blackmail unsuspecting people.
Mrs Hadiza Umar, Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of the agency, gave the warning in a statement issued in Abuja recently.
According to Umar, the malware campaign was aimed at blackmailing users into accepting their demands or risk having their private information in the public domain.
“Developing countries like Nigeria are a prime target for dodgy loan apps and this has created an avenue for hackers to exploit,” Umar said.
“Although none of the 33 apps used in the deceptive scheme has been distributed through the Google Play Store, they have been distributed through unofficial app stores like Smishing, rogue ads, compromised websites, and social media campaigns.
“The campaign has reportedly racked up over 100,000 downloads.’
She added that once the malware is installed, it harvests and uploads a wide range of private information from the victim’s device onto its server.