Google Suspends Pinduoduo After Finding Malware in Versions

Sarah Zheng and Vlad Savov

Tue, 21 March 2023 at 3:22 am GMT

(Bloomberg) — Google has suspended PDD Holdings Inc.’s main Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo after discovering malware in versions of the software not carried on its Play Store, dealing a blow to one of the country’s biggest online retailers.

The Mountain View-based company said on Tuesday it has found versions of the app, offering PDD Holdings Inc.’s flagship e-commerce service, to contain malware. As a security precaution, it has suspended the app from the Play Store, a company spokesperson said, while it carries out an investigation. Google didn’t mention Temu, PDD’s popular shopping app in the US, in its statement. Temu is still available to download.

“Google Play Protect enforcement has been set to block installation attempts of these identified malicious apps,” a Google spokesperson said. “Users that have malicious versions of the app downloaded to their devices are warned and prompted to uninstall the app.”

The move comes in the wake of earlier reports by Chinese cybersecurity researchers pointing to a major Chinese app incorporating malicious code that helped it track users’ information and activity, including across other apps.

PDD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.