Fake Angry Birds Star Wars Hides Android Trojan

Many Android users are probably looking for the recently released Angry Birds Star Wars game, but experts advise them to be careful where they download it from since some malicious apps are advertised as being the real deal.

GFI Labs experts have identified such an application on a Russian website. It’s promoted as Angry Birds Star Wars, but it’s actually a piece of malware known as Boxer.

Boxer is a threat that has been around for quite some time. It’s highly popular among cybercriminals because it helps them make a considerable profit by sending SMSs from the compromised smartphone to premium rate numbers.

GFI’s VIPRE Mobile detects the threat as Trojan.AndroidOS.Generic.A.

Experts advise users to download Android apps only from trusted locations such as Google Play since, in many cases, alternative markets are flooded with pieces of software designed to steal information and inflate bills.