The article reports on the discovery of malware in Pinduoduo, a Chinese e-commerce platform. Here are some key points from the article:
**Malware Discovery**
* The malware was discovered by Dark Navy, a Chinese cybersecurity firm, in late February 2023.
* The report claimed that Pinduoduo's app contained malware that could spy on users' locations, contacts, calendars, notifications, and photo albums without their consent.
**Exploits and Permissions**
* The malware used exploits to access sensitive information from users' devices.
* The app requested a large number of permissions beyond the normal functions of a shopping app.
* Experts reported that the malware could be reactivated after Pinduoduo removed it from its app store.
**Regulatory Oversight Failure**
* The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology failed to detect the malware despite regular sweeps for apps violating user data regulations.
* The Cyberspace Administration of China did not take any action against Pinduoduo.
**Consequences for Pinduoduo**
* A core group of 20 cybersecurity engineers who specialize in finding vulnerabilities remained at Pinduoduo after the malware was removed.
* Most team members were transferred to work on Temu, a subsidiary of Pinduoduo.
**Expert Opinions**
* Kendra Schaefer, a tech policy expert, stated that regulators should have detected the malware and called it embarrassing for them.
* A cybersecurity expert with 1.8 million followers wrote on Weibo that regulators cannot understand coding and programming, making it difficult to detect malicious code.
**Censorship**
* The original post by the cybersecurity expert was censored the next day.
The article highlights concerns about regulatory oversight in China and the lack of awareness among regulators regarding cybersecurity issues. It also underscores the importance of effective monitoring and enforcement of data protection regulations.
**Malware Discovery**
* The malware was discovered by Dark Navy, a Chinese cybersecurity firm, in late February 2023.
* The report claimed that Pinduoduo's app contained malware that could spy on users' locations, contacts, calendars, notifications, and photo albums without their consent.
**Exploits and Permissions**
* The malware used exploits to access sensitive information from users' devices.
* The app requested a large number of permissions beyond the normal functions of a shopping app.
* Experts reported that the malware could be reactivated after Pinduoduo removed it from its app store.
**Regulatory Oversight Failure**
* The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology failed to detect the malware despite regular sweeps for apps violating user data regulations.
* The Cyberspace Administration of China did not take any action against Pinduoduo.
**Consequences for Pinduoduo**
* A core group of 20 cybersecurity engineers who specialize in finding vulnerabilities remained at Pinduoduo after the malware was removed.
* Most team members were transferred to work on Temu, a subsidiary of Pinduoduo.
**Expert Opinions**
* Kendra Schaefer, a tech policy expert, stated that regulators should have detected the malware and called it embarrassing for them.
* A cybersecurity expert with 1.8 million followers wrote on Weibo that regulators cannot understand coding and programming, making it difficult to detect malicious code.
**Censorship**
* The original post by the cybersecurity expert was censored the next day.
The article highlights concerns about regulatory oversight in China and the lack of awareness among regulators regarding cybersecurity issues. It also underscores the importance of effective monitoring and enforcement of data protection regulations.
. It's not just about them, though - it's a whole lot bigger than that. I mean, think about all the user data being collected and stored... it's a recipe for disaster! 
. Like, how can you expect people to trust their personal info with an app if you're not even keeping an eye on it? 
It's like, hello? Some basic quality control would've picked this up ages ago! 
... but honestly, who is surprising anyone when Pinduoduo's been shady before 
? The fact that they just transferred most of their team to another app and didn't take any major action speaks volumes. 
I'm not surprised to hear that Pinduoduo, one of China's largest e-commerce platforms, was found to have malware on its app 
. The fact that a security firm discovered it in February 2023 raises some serious questions about the regulatory oversight in China 
. It seems like the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology wasn't doing enough to monitor apps for user data violations 
.
. The fact that experts are saying regulators can't understand coding and programming just adds fuel to the fire 
. It's not about knowing all the technical details, but rather being vigilant enough to catch these kinds of problems in the first place 
.
. If someone who has 1.8 million followers can't even express their concerns without being silenced, that's a problem too 
.
. We need better monitoring, enforcement, and clear guidelines to prevent situations like this from happening again 
.
This is soooo concerning! I mean, who's supposed to be looking out for our info on these platforms anyway? 
And now we find out that Pinduoduo had malware in their app with access to way too much personal info... it's like, basic security 101. 
it just shows how serious this issue is. if its good enough for us to know, why not china regulators? gotta keep an eye on those cyber security firms too 
And censorship? That's not exactly reassuring... when experts are getting their posts censored, it means someone is trying to silence them. 
It's a slippery slope, if you ask me.
The fact that they just censored the expert who spoke out against them is super sketchy too. It's like, "Hey, we can't let you talk about this because it might get us into trouble"... 
... like, how could they not have seen it coming? 
. This is exactly what happens when you don't prioritize cybersecurity and data protection 
. I hope more people are held accountable for this 
.
I mean, who needs a shopping app that can just spy on you 24/7? 
. It's all about accountability and making sure these companies are held to high standards of security. 20 cybersecurity engineers staying on at Pinduoduo after the malware was removed? That just smells like a cover-up 
. Temu, Pinduoduo's new subsidiary, needs to be under extra scrutiny too - can we trust them with our data? 
it's like they're not taking things seriously enough. and to make matters worse, the regulators in china can't even detect this stuff? that's just embarrassing for them 
! We need better oversight, for sure 
!
.
This is so not acceptable! The fact that the Chinese regulators failed to detect it and now some super-skilled engineers are still stuck at the company because of it? 
Seriously though, this is a huge deal and we need to keep pushing for better cybersecurity measures in China. 
. it's crazy how these hackers can sneak in malware without anyone noticing 
. it's not just about detecting malware, but also understanding the implications of data protection 
for them to sweep it under the rug (or rather, under their app store) and let those 20 engineers just waltz outta there 
meanwhile i'm over here trying to keep my own devices secure