Flappy Bird Game Clones Contain Malware that May Result in High Phone Bills

Mashable said that the popular avian-themed mobile game, "Flappy Bird," has spurred a number of copycats in the Apple and Gloogle Play appstores. Even famous childrens' television show "Sesame Street" got their own version of the game by creator Dong Nguyen and replaced the iconic bird with one of their best-loved characters, Bert, Metro UK said.

However, a report by the Sydney Morning Herald said security firms and experts had cautioned game addicts about downloading the "Flappy Bird" clones. Trend Micro and Sophos claimed that they have found several copycats that ask more permissions from user as compared to the original "Flappy Bird" game when downloaded.

Because of the extra user permissions, users who have downloaded the fake game apps could covertly send text messages without the mobile phone user's knowledge to premium numbers. The premium numbers reportedly charge a user money more than a normal text message would could, which would further increase a user's bill further.

Trend Micro also added that the "Flappy Bird" copycats also send out mobile phone user numbers and Gmail addresses to spammers.

TrendLabs, a security-intelligence blog said in another report that all of the copycats do more than just asking for user permissions, Mashable said. The blog said, "All of the fake versions we've seen so far are premium service abusers - apps that send messages to premium numbers, thus causing unwanted charges to victims' phone-billing statements." The blog added that the game apps infected with malware are rampant in alternative app markets targeted for Russian and Vietnamese game players.

So how does one avoid downloading malware-infected copycats of the "Flappy Bird" game? Sophos, in their blog "Naked Security" asks users to compare the difference of the original game and the current fake versions. "Remember that the original Flappy Bird was free, with no trial period or money to pay: The author made his money through ads presented by the game, not by selling the app," the blog read.

SMH said that a surefire way is to download games from verified app stores such as Google Play.