Security software company Sophos warned that malware writers have jumped on the Angry Birds Space bandwagon, with malware-infected versions of the app being offered by unofficial Android app stores – the version available via Google Play being official.

The company did not state where it detected the cracked versions of the app. It did note that they contain “Andr/KongFu-L,” which it said “uses the GingerBreak exploit to gain root access to the device, and install malicious code.”

In a blog post, it said: “With the malware in place, cybercriminals can now send compromised Android devices instructions to download further code or push URLs to be displayed in the smartphone's browser.”

Rovio Entertainment, creator of the app, warned users via its website to “watch out for fake versions of Angry Birds Space.”