"Angry Birds: Space," the
latest installment of the insanely popular mobile game, is being used
to mask some fairly nasty malware, according to security experts and
Rovio, the maker of "Angry Birds."
Graham Cluley, an analyst with Web security firm Sophos, wrote on the company's blog
Thursday that they had discovered fake versions of the game on
unofficial app stores. The fake games contain a "Trojan horse" virus.
A post on Rovio's blog on
Thursday also warned fans to watch out for fake versions of the game,
urging them to download the new title from their official store.
According to Sophos, the Trojan horse, which it identified in a file called Andr/KongFu-L, appears to be a fully functional version of the game, but instead installs a virus on the user's smartphone or tablet.
From there, the code
tries to install more malware that essentially puts the phone or tablet
computer under the control of the cybercriminals behind it, Cluley
wrote.
"It feels like we have to
keep reminding Android users to be on their guard against malware
risks, and to be very careful, especially when downloading applications
from unofficial Android markets," he said.
Unlike Apple, which
screens all its apps and requires iPhone and iPad owners to download
software from its official App Store, Google maintains less control over
what people can install on devices that run its Android operating
system. The company allows Android owners to download programs from
official and unofficial sources.
Security experts say
Android device owners should use the official Android Market if they
want to avoid downloading fake apps and potentially harmful programs,
although there have been instances of malicious software showing up in that official venue, too.
From Harry Potter to Ana
Kournikova, it's not unusual for malicious hackers to use popular
topics, often from the entertainment and celebrity world, to lure
potential victims.
"Angry Birds: Space" was
released March 22 for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices, as well as
Macs and PCs. It soared to a mind-blowing 10 million downloads in just three days, three times faster than the franchise's last outing, "Angry Birds: Rio."
Released in 2009, "Angry
Birds" is the No.1 paid mobile app of all time, crossing 300 million
downloads, across multiple platforms, last year.
Based in Finland, Rovio
parlayed the game's success into a virtual empire, offering everything
from comic books and animated videos to plush dolls and cookbooks based
on the game.
Source: CNN News
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