Security News > 2020 > February > US Has Evidence of Huawei Backdoor: Report

As the U.S. ramps up pressure on its allies to ban equipment from Chinese manufacturer Huawei from their 5G networks, U.S. officials now say they have evidence that the firm has created a backdoor that allows it to access mobile phone networks around the world, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"We have evidence that Huawei has the capability secretly to access sensitive and personal information in systems it maintains and sells around the world," says Robert O'Brien, national security adviser, according to the Journal report.

U.S. officials told the Journal that they have been aware of the Huawei backdoor since 2009, having observed it in early 4G mobile telecommunications equipment developed at the time.

The U.S. kept the information classified until 2019, when American national security officials provided details of Huawei's backdoor capabilities to allies, including the U.K. and Germany, in an effort to convince those countries to ban Huawei gear from their 5G networks, according to the Journal, which cited unnamed officials from the three countries.

U.S. officials told the Journal that Huawei built equipment that secretly gave the company access to networks without the knowledge of the carriers, but the officials did not provide details on how Huawei is able to do gain access.

News URL

https://www.inforisktoday.com/us-has-evidence-huawei-backdoor-report-a-13718