ZOAHARIAN.COM – Pinduoduo, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in China, is in the spotlight after a number of cybersecurity researchers discovered suspected malicious activity in its application.

The application, which is used by hundreds of millions of users every month, is said to have the ability to bypass a number of security mechanisms on Android devices. Researchers claim the application can monitor user activity in other applications, read notifications and private messages, and change a number of device settings.

These findings led to Pinduoduo being accused of taking privacy and data security issues to a more serious level than the data collection practices commonly used by a number of digital applications.

In an in-depth investigation, CNN spoke with a number of cybersecurity teams from Asia, Europe, and the United States. The investigation also involved several former and current Pinduoduo employees who still work at the company.

A number of cybersecurity experts have identified components they call malware in the Pinduoduo application. The malware is suspected of exploiting certain vulnerabilities in the Android operating system to gain wider access to the device.

A number of internal company sources even claim that this capability has been used to spy on users and competitors, which is thought to be related to efforts to increase sales.

Cybersecurity expert Mikko Hyppönen from Finnish security company WithSecure considers the allegations very serious.

According to him, the Pinduoduo case is different from just an application that collects large amounts of user data. He highlighted the application's alleged efforts to increase access rights so that it can reach information that should be outside its authority.

What Is Malware?

Malware is a general term for malicious software designed to steal information, spy on users, damage systems, or gain unauthorized access to computer or mobile devices.

If an application exploits a system vulnerability to gain additional access privileges without the user's knowledge, the risks can be much greater. Personal data, messages, application activity and other sensitive information could potentially be exposed.

Pinduoduo Has Been Suspended by Google

The discovery of the alleged malware emerged after Google suspended the Pinduoduo application from the Play Store in March. Google stated that there was a version of the application that was identified as containing malware.

The Bloomberg report then stated that a Russian cybersecurity company also found indications of potential malware in the application.

Pinduoduo has previously denied speculation and accusations that its app is malicious.

The meeting also becomes a highlight

The case also has the potential to raise attention to Temu, an international shopping platform that is growing rapidly in the United States and a number of other Western markets.

Temu and Pinduoduo are under the auspices of PDD Holdings, a company whose shares are listed on Nasdaq and has business roots in China.

Although there is no evidence that Temu was involved in Pinduoduo's alleged malware activity, this case has the potential to raise new questions regarding the security of applications that have ties to Chinese technology companies.

These concerns are also inseparable from the broader debate in the United States regarding the data security of Chinese applications, including TikTok.

There is No Evidence of Data Submitted to the Chinese Government

Although the allegations against Pinduoduo are serious, to date there is no evidence to suggest that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government.

However, concerns remain because the Chinese government has great influence over companies operating in its territory. A number of United States lawmakers previously also assessed that companies operating in China could potentially face obligations to cooperate with authorities in certain activities.

The Pinduoduo case ultimately reopened the debate regarding the boundaries between digital services, data collection and user privacy security.

For Android users, this issue is a reminder that the popularity of an application does not always mean its security risk is low. Application permissions, download sources, and device security updates remain important things to pay attention to before granting access to digital applications. 

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