Tag Archive for: fears

Temu accused of data risks amid TikTok, Pinduoduo fears

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  • The U.S. has accused Temu of potential data risks after Google suspended its Chinese sister app, but analysts are not too worried.
  • “Temu is not as aggressive as Pinduoduo that is requesting all kinds of privileges,” said Kevin Reed, chief information security officer at cybersecurity firm Acronis.
  • Temu is taking the U.S. market by storm with discount items from fashion to pet supplies to home goods.
  • “I am less worried about the shopping apps than social media platforms like TikTok and Lemon8,” said Lindsay Gorman, senior fellow for emerging tech, German Marshall Fund.

In just 17 days after launch, Temu surpassed Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat and Shein on the Apple App Store in the U.S., according to Apptopia data shared with CNBC.

Stefani Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images

The U.S. has accused discount shopping site Temu of possible data risks after its Chinese sister app was pulled from Google’s app store over “malware” — but analysts say they’re not that worried.

Compared to Pinduoduo, which was suspended by Google in March after versions offered outside Google’s Play store were found to contain malware, Temu is “not as aggressive,” one analyst said.

The malware in Pinduoduo was found to leverage specific vulnerabilities for Android phones, allowing the app to bypass user security permissions, access private messages, modify settings, view data from other apps and prevent uninstallation.

Google called it an “identified malicious app” and urged users to uninstall the Pinduoduo app, but the Chinese online retailer denied those claims.

According to analysis by Kevin Reed, chief information security officer at cybersecurity firm Acronis, Pinduoduo requests for as many as 83 permissions — including access to biometrics, Bluetooth and information about Wi-Fi networks.

“Some of these permissions Pinduoduo is asking seems to be unexpected for an e-commerce app,” said Reed, who shared his analysis of both apps with CNBC.

“But Temu is not as aggressive as Pinduoduo that is requesting all kinds of privileges,” said Reed.

Pinduoduo is a China-based e-commerce app that sells everything from groceries to clothing. It is the flagship product of Nasdaq-listed Chinese company PDD Holdings which also owns…

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Fears pro-Russian hackers could disrupt Eurovision by hacking into the broadcasts

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Ministers fear pro-Russian hackers could disrupt Eurovision by hacking into the broadcasts and silencing the song contest next week. 

Experts from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) were called in after the government and Eurovision organisers raised concerns that the competition could become a digital front of the Ukraine war, The Times reports.

A senior Whitehall official said the biggest worry was the potential hacking of the voting system like last year.

The contest, held in Liverpool, will see reinforced cyber-defences by the NCSC experts in combination with the Home Office and the Department for Science.

In 2022, Italian police managed to thwart attacks by pro-Russian hackers at the competition in Turin, Italy, especially during performances of the Kalush Orchestra, which represented Ukraine and won last year’s Eurovision.

Experts from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) were called in after the government and Eurovision organisers raised concerns that the competition could become a digital front of the Ukraine war
Paul Quinn, 32, from the Dingle area of Liverpool, will co-present the song contest finale alongside Brookside actress Claire Sweeney (pictured), 52, on Saturday, May 13
The BBC said it will be the first time contest audiences will have the option of listening to an alternative commentary in the host city’s regional accent (pictured: Scouse commentator Paul Quinn)

The semi-final and final of the song contest were targeted by Killnet, a hacker collective supposedly supportive of Putin’s regime, but the group was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing audiences from watching the show or voting via telephone, app or text.

However, ministers still fear disruption during this year’s Eurovision. A security source told The Times: ‘While it’s possible to be confident that concertgoers will be safe, the cyber side is far more unpredictable.’

It is unknown whether British security agencies are acting upon specific intelligence regarding a potential Russian hacker attack – and the Kremlin has always denied engaging in cyberwarfare against Western states. 

A successful hacking attack at the contest in 2019 in Israel saw the national broadcaster’s online stream…

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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faces off with Congress, hoping to stave off possible ban over security fears

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WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers grilled the CEO of TikTok over data security and harmful content Thursday, responding skeptically during a tense committee hearing to his assurances that the hugely popular video-sharing app prioritizes user safety and should not be banned.

Shou Zi Chew’s testimony came at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. officials. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology.

In a rare bipartisan effort to reign in the power of a major social media platform, Republican and Democratic lawmakers pressed Chew on a host of topics, ranging from TikTok’s content moderation practices, how the company plans to secure American data from Beijing, and its spying on journalists.

“Mr. Chew, you are here because the American people need the truth about the threat TikTok poses to our national and personal security,” Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican, said in her opening statement. “TikTok has repeatedly chosen a path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation.”

Chew, a 40-year-old Singapore native, told the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritizes the safety of its young users and denied allegations that it’s a national security risk. He reiterated the company’s plan to protect U.S. user data by storing all such information on servers maintained and owned by the software giant Oracle.

“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.

On Wednesday, the company sent dozens of popular TikTokers to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to preserve the platform. It has also been putting up ads all over Washington that promise to secure users’ data and privacy, and create a safe platform for its young users.

TikTok has been dogged by claims that its Chinese ownership means user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government or that it could be used to promote narratives favorable to the country’s Communist leaders.

In 2019, the Guardian reported that TikTok was instructing its moderators to censor…

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TikTok CEO faces off with Congress over security fears

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WASHINGTON – The CEO of TikTok will make a high-profile appearance Thursday before a U.S. Congressional committee, where he’ll face a grilling on data security and user safety while he makes his own case for why the hugely popular video-sharing app shouldn’t be banned.

Shou Zi Chew’s testimony comes at a crucial time for the company, which has acquired 150 million American users but is under increasing pressure from U.S. officials. TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology.

Chew, a 40-year-old Singapore native, is making a rare public appearance to counter the volley of accusations that TikTok has been facing. On Wednesday, the company sent dozens of popular TikTokers to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers to preserve the platform. It has also been putting up ads all over Washington that tout promises of securing users data and privacy and creating a safe platform for its young users.

Chew plans to tell the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce that TikTok prioritizes the safety of its young users and deny allegations that the app is a national security risk, according to his prepared remarks released ahead of the hearing.

TikTok has been dogged by claims that its Chinese ownership means user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government or that it could be used to promote narratives favorable to the country’s Communist leaders.

“We understand the popularity of Tiktok, we get that,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “But the President’s job is to make sure again that the Americans, national security is protected as well. ”

For its part, TikTok has been trying to distance itself from its Chinese origins, saying that 60% percent of its parent company ByteDance is owned by global institutional investors such as Carlyle Group. ByteDance was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs in Beijing in 2012.

“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.

A U.S. ban on an app would be unprecedented and it’s unclear how the government would go about…

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