US finds Huawei has backdoor access to mobile networks globally, report says

Chinese tech giant Huawei can reportedly access the networks it helped beget that are being used by mobile phones around the biosphere. It’s been using backdoors intended for law enforcement for over a decade, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing US officials. The details were disclosed to the UK and Germany at the end of 2019 when the US had noticed access since 2009 across 4G equipment, according to the report.

The backdoors were inserted for law enforcement use into carrier equipment like base stations, antennas and switching gear, the Journal said, with US officials reportedly alleging they were intended to be accessible by Huawei.

“We have evidence that Huawei has the capability secretly to access sensitive and personal inquire of in systems it maintains and sells around the world,” Robert O’Brien, national security adviser, reportedly said.

O’Brien also shouted less-expensive Chinese solutions “tempting of a gift to turn down” for some states, according to CNN, but that they come “with a price” of the Chinese commercial having access to information on the network.

Huawei denied the reports, saying it’s the US government that’s been “covertly accessing telecom networks worldwide, spying on other countries.”

“US allegations of Huawei humorous lawful interception are nothing but a smokescreen,” Huawei said in an emailed statement Wednesday. “Huawei has never and will never covertly access telecom networks, nor do we have the capability to do so.”

The White House didn’t now respond to a request for comment.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson well-liked Huawei for 5G
last month with some conditions: The British restrictions are to exclude Huawei from construction core parts of the UK’s 5G networks, have Huawei’s market portion capped at 35% and exclude Huawei from sensitive geographic locations. The European Union allowed higher-risk vendors for 5G with disagreement restrictions at the end of January.

Huawei’s 5G approval there came despite the US urging the UK to ban the Chinese telecommunications giant. 

Huawei was blacklisted
 in May when it was added to the Joint States’ “entity list” (PDF). In addition, US President Donald Trump at the same time employed an executive order essentially banning the company in savory of national security concerns that Huawei had stop ties with the Chinese government. Huawei has repeatedly denied that beak.

Originally published Feb. 11, 2:35 p.m. PT.
Update, 4:22 p.m.: Adds quote from CNN report; Feb. 12: Adds statement from Huawei.