The US has long had issues with Huawei, barring the company from launching its phones with carriers in the country and most recently issuing a trade ban against it. The government maintains that Huawei is a security risk, and it’s now accused the Chinese brand of being able to tap into its mobile equipment via backdoors.
According to the Wall Street Journal (paywall), US officials say Huawei is able to access mobile networks around the world via these backdoors. It adds that the company has had this capability for over a decade.
“We have evidence that Huawei has the secret ability to access sensitive and personal information in the systems it manages and sells around the world,” national security adviser Robert O’Brien was quoted as saying.
Read: Huawei in 2020 — So many questions
Officials haven’t revealed any more details, such as countries apparently affected by the problem. But they said that the issue first surfaced with 4G equipment.
The outlet says telecom makers are required to build ways for law enforcement to access their networks. But it claims that Huawei has built equipment that secretly “preserves” its ability to access networks, without a carrier’s knowledge.
Huawei’s response to claim
Officials from three nations told the Wall Street Journal that the US kept this information “highly classified” until late 2019, when they provided the details to the likes of the UK and Germany.
“We categorically reject these latest allegations. Again, baseless accusations are repeated without providing any kind of concrete evidence,” Huawei was quoted as saying by the outlet.
If Huawei has a security problem, what exactly is it?
“The use of the legal interception interface is strictly regulated and is only accessible to certified personnel of network operators. No Huawei employee is allowed to access the network without the explicit approval of the network operator,” a senior company representative was quoted as saying, adding that access via this method was “extremely implausible and would be discovered immediately.”
The news comes almost a year after the US initiated a trade ban against Huawei, citing security concerns without specific evidence. If the allegation is true, however, it will only add fuel to opponents of a US push for backdoors in equipment, apps, and services. In fact, all five members of the so-called Five Eyes have previously demanded backdoors in services and equipment. But if a foreign company can access backdoors designed for law enforcement, then what’s stopping state actors or criminals?
More posts about Huawei
from Android Authority https://ift.tt/2wdqmIR
via IFTTT
Posts
0Awesome Comments!