Google has suspended Pinduoduo, a Chinese e-commerce app, after discovering malware in certain versions of the software. The move follows a report by Chinese security researchers alleging that the e-commerce app tried to seize complete control of affected devices by exploiting multiple security vulnerabilities in various Android-based smartphones. The researchers claimed that a major Chinese e-commerce company's app was using the same three-exploit chain that was used to compromise Samsung devices. DarkNavy, the security firm, did not name the app behind the attacks, but a member of the now-defunct cybercrime community, BreachForums, claimed that the app was Pinduoduo. E-commerce expert Liu Huafang subsequently posted on Weibo, the Chinese social media network, that Pinduoduo’s app used security vulnerabilities to steal user data from its competitors.
Google has stated that the malware was found in versions of the Pinduoduo app outside Google Play. However, the app will still be available through other mobile app stores catering to the Chinese market, including those run by Huawei, Oppo, Tencent, and VIVO. The Pinduoduo suspension occurs just as lawmakers in Congress are preparing to question the CEO of TikTok over national security concerns. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, said last month that it has about 150 million monthly active users in the United States. The Biden administration's new cybersecurity strategy stated that China now poses the "broadest, most active, and most persistent threat to both government and private sector networks" and is "the only country with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do so."
In conclusion, Google's move to suspend Pinduoduo is significant, given that the app has about 900 million monthly active users, making it one of China's most popular e-commerce platforms. The app will still be available through other mobile app stores catering to the Chinese market, and Google's ban does not impact PDD Holdings' Temu app, an online shopping platform in the United States. However, the Pinduoduo suspension occurs as China continues to be seen as a significant cybersecurity threat to the United States and other Western countries.
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