Security News

CCTV equipment maker Xiongmai effectively built a poorly hidden, insecure backdoor into potentially millions of surveillance devices, it is claimed. A hardware probester going by the name of Vladislav Yarmak alleged this week that China-based Xiongmai - best known for its wide-open security cameras - left a remote debugging and management tool in its firmware, which is used in network-connected surveillance video recorders.

The United States on Thursday welcomed the European Union's new rules on fifth-generation internet but pressed them to go further after the bloc resisted Washington's pressure to ban China's Huawei directly. The European Union, setting guidelines that mirror those announced a day earlier by Britain, said Wednesday that countries should ban telecoms operators deemed to be a security risk.

The latest edition of the ISMG Security Report discusses the ramifications of the U.K's decision to allow limited use of Huawei's equipment in 5G networks. Plus: Updates on Wawa's stolen card...

Will Britain's Huawei decision serve as a blueprint for other nations' 5G infrastructure rollouts? U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday announced that the country's four biggest telecommunications firms will be allowed to use equipment from Huawei for up to 35 percent of non-sensitive parts of their 5G and gigabit-capable networks.

LONDON - The European Union unveiled security guidelines for next generation high-speed wireless networks that stop short of calling for a ban on Huawei, in the latest setback for the U.S. campaign against the Chinese tech company. No companies were mentioned by name but the term "High risk" supplier was an obvious reference to Huawei , the world's top maker of telecom infrastructure equipment such as routers, switches and antennas - the hidden plumbing through which wireless companies' internet data traffic flows.

As a result, Huawei will be excluded from the sensitive "Core" parts of new 5G and gigabit-capable networks. On Wednesday, the European Commission endorsed guidelines for 5G networks that would allow European Union member states to decide whether to allow "High risk" telecommunications groups, including Huawei, in their networks, The Hill reports.

Britain on Tuesday greenlighted a limited role for Chinese telecoms giant Huawei in the country's 5G network, but underscored that "High risk vendors" would be excluded from "Sensitive" core infrastructure. London's decision, following a meeting of the National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, came shortly after Brussels said it would allow Huawei a limited 5G role in the European Union.

There is no evidence of backdoors in the Huawei equipment; the incident has not damaged relations between the African Union and China; and Huawei has stated, "These data leaks did not originate in technology supplied by Huawei to the AU. What Huawei supplied for the AU project included data center facilities, but those facilities did not have any storage or data transfer functions." Tony Scott concludes in his supply chain whitepaper, provided exclusively to SecurityWeek ahead of public release, a conclusion that is endorsed by Huawei's Purdy, that there is one essential element missing from all current supply chain solutions: independent product testing.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed telecoms security with US President Donald Trump as he prepares to announce if Britain will use China's Huawei in its 5G networks, officials said Saturday. In a phone call on Friday evening, the leaders "Discussed a range of issues, including cooperation to ensure the security of our telecommunications networks", a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

U.K. officials are considering a proposal to allow China's Huawei to play a limited role in providing certain equipment for the country's 5G rollout, which would defy calls from the U.S. for a complete ban of telecom gear from the company, Reuters reports. Britain's National Security Council, which is chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is scheduled to meet in the coming days to decide whether to deploy Huawei equipment within the country's 5G networks, according to Reuters, which cited unnamed U.K. government sources.