US Officials Say Huawei Can Access Government Backdoors

From PC Mag: Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei can apparently access telecom networks through backdoors “designed for use by law enforcement,” according to US officials.

Companies manufacturing telecom equipment are required by US law to build backdoors for government authorities to tap into the networks. These backdoors are not accessible themselves to the companies without approval given by the network operator, and only law-enforcement officials or officials authorized by the carriers are allowed access, reports the Wall Street Journal.

It is through these backdoors that, United States officials say, Huawei would be able to conduct espionage for the Chinese government - a capability the company has apparently had for over a decade.

National security adviser Robert O’Brien said that the US has “evidence that Huawei has the capability secretly to access sensitive and personal information in systems it maintains and sells around the world,” with another unnamed US official stating that “Huawei does not disclose this covert access to its local customers, or the host nation national-security agencies.”

View: Full Article