When crisis hits, criminals come running. In the case of the coronavirus pandemic, cybercriminals have been busy laying traps in fake apps, phishing emails and websites. Here's what to watch for.

People are understandably hungry for news about the coronavirus, but society's urgent need for updates on the pandemic is being exploited by cybercriminals.

A number of social engineering attacks have been using fears around the coronavirus to spread malware, Europol, the European Union's agency for police cooperation, has warned.

For that reason you should be very wary of any apps, websites or emails that purport to have information about the pandemic. Here are some of the things to look out for.

Apps with malware

Apps have been used as a legitimate means of tracking the spread of Covid-19. In South Korea, for example, the location data of people who were infected was published anonymously so that other people would know which places to avoid.

However, criminals have exploited the idea of tracker apps as a way of smuggling malware onto smartphones and tablets.

This means if you download a coronavirus-related apps from a dubious source, you're risking having your bank account looted or your phone locked - along with a ransom demand to have it unlocked.

Particularly now it's best to only install apps from official app stores and not by downloading them onto your phone.

False information

Countless websites, social networks posts, and apps have been spreading fake reports about the virus. You should be particularly sceptical about any information that claims to be exclusive.

There are of course trustworthy and reliable news apps, for example WHO Info, the official information app from the World Health Organisation.

Manipulated and bogus websites

People searching for terms such as Corona or Covid-19 can find themselves on websites that look genuine but whose real purpose is to get malware onto their computer. You may also receive a link to a dubious site in an email.

The web is teeming with good virus map forgeries, which even use accurate and current figures, according to IT security researcher Brian Krebs.

Whole kits for creating counterfeit maps are offered on underground marketplaces and their goal is to exploit browser and computer vulnerabilities to smuggle malware such as encryption Trojans onto computers.

One of the most commonly counterfeited maps of the spread of the virus is that of Johns Hopkins University. The genuine map can be found at https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html.

Phishing emails

These are nothing new, of course, but now they're piggybacking on the current crisis by claiming to have news, warnings, and information about the coronavirus.

The emails can look like they come from trusted organisations such as the WHO. Sometimes they contain fake offers such as for respiratory masks or disinfectants while others offer fake cures. In reality they're an attempt to spread malware and ransomware.

For all those reasons, you shouldn't let fear, interest or curiosity get the better of you when you're online.

It's always better to double-check the sender address and the content of each email. If in doubt, do not click on links and do not open any attachments, Internet safety experts say.

If you do open attachments or click on links, you may find your computer infected by malware or be taken to webpages that aim to steal sensitive data such as your payment information. The safest course is to delete any suspicious emails immediately.

 - dpa