Fake Flappy Bird versions running malware on Android

Soon after the original Flappy Bird was taken down by its creator, a host of fake apps mushroomed in third-party Android app marketplaces reportedly directing malware to unsuspecting users.

Security firm Sophos has discovered Flappy Bird-like applications running malware, forcing users to send a text message to a given number and allowing the malware creators to exploit them.

According to Cnet, another security firm Trend Micro also acknowledged existence of a bunch of fake Android Flappy Bird apps spreading online, which send messages to premium numbers and thus, causing unwanted changes to victims' phone billing statements.

The original game, reportedly raked in 50,000 dollars per day in ad revenue and its Vietnamese developer Nguyen Dong took it off from Apple and Google app stores because it was 'addictive.'

Both the security firms have warned that users shouldn't attempt to download anything calling itself Flappy Bird, since the original version is 'dead' and they should also be wary of apps from alternative markets, the report added.