While the debate over whether to ban Huawei from 5G networks continues, the Chinese vendor is appealing directly to the UK public.
Huawei is facing a difficult time over US-led action. The US has called on its allies to ban the Chinese vendor from 5G networks over national security concerns and has threatened to cut-off intelligence cooperation with countries that refuse. Spooked operators are
President Trump looks set to win the UK’s agreement to ban Huawei from national 5G networks following remarks from leading Conservatives.
Trump has landed on British soil experiencing more turbulence than in the air: Brexit uncertainty is hitting businesses, the outlook for industries like manufacturing across the wider eurozone is even worse, a departing prime minister, and protests around Trump’s state visit are just some of the problems faced by...
President Trump and UK PM Theresa May will discuss a Huawei ban during a state visit, as firm limits contact with Americans.
Theresa May will step down as PM on June 7th but will be in her post for Trump's visit. As the UK is a crucial US security partner, May's government has been under pressure from Trump's administration to ban Huawei over national security concerns.
A leak from a National Security Council meeting last night month suggested May's government was minded to allow Huawei's equipment in...
Huawei says it's willing to sign ‘no-spy’ agreements with governments while Trump prepares an order to ban foreign telecoms firms over security concerns.
During a business conference in London, Huawei chairman Liang Hua said:
"We are willing to sign no-spy agreements with governments, including the UK government, to commit ourselves to making our equipment meet the no-spy, no-backdoors standard.”
The suggestion comes amid growing concern from Huawei that it...
OTT messaging giant WhatsApp has confirmed an ‘advanced cyber actor’ exploited a major vulnerability to install spyware on users’ devices.
With over 1.5 billion active users, WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app. This popularity makes WhatsApp a key target for both independent and state-sponsored hackers.
The attackers compromised devices by making fake calls to victims’ devices. Users did not even have to pick up the call for the malicious code to be...
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has claimed China wants ‘to divide Western alliances through bits and bytes’ amid threat to reduce UK security cooperation if the country allows Huawei in national 5G networks.
Pompeo was on a brief visit to the UK and warned the country not to ‘go wobbly’ over 5G security – paraphrasing what Margaret Thatcher once famously told late US President George H.W. Bush.
“In China, we face a new kind of challenge; an authoritarian regime that’s integrated...
Telecoms giant Vodafone has revealed it discovered backdoors in equipment supplied by Chinese vendor Huawei that could have enabled spying.
Acknowledging the discoveries to Bloomberg, Vodafone said the vulnerabilities date back years. The issues have since been patched, but Vodafone claims they remained for some time after Huawei claimed they'd been fixed.
If exploited, the backdoors reportedly would have...
China's ambassador to the UK has urged the government not to be influenced by allies when making its decision whether or not to ban Huawei from 5G networks.
Beijing’s ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, called on the government to make its own determination on the issue rather than follow allies like the US and Australia in banning Chinese telecoms equipment from official networks.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Liu wrote:
Politicians and security agencies have expressed fury over the leak of a sensitive meeting to decide if the UK should allow Huawei in national 5G networks.
Leaked information from a National Security Council (NSC) meeting appeared in the press on Wednesday just a day after it was held. Prime Minister Theresa May was in attendance to discuss if Huawei poses a substantial risk with security chiefs.
Jon Trickett, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister, said:
“This Tory government...
US security officials acknowledge that some allies will continue using Huawei 5G gear despite their warnings and have planned accordingly.
Sue Gordon, the deputy to the director of the U.S. intelligence community, gave her views on the situation during a conference last week.
“We are going to have to figure out a way in a 5G world that we’re able to manage the risks in a diverse network that includes technology that we can’t trust,” said Gordon. “We’re just going to have to...
The UK’s dedicated Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) has issued its first report since the US increased pressure to ban the firm.
HCSEC is based in Banbury, Oxfordshire and its oversight board issues annual reports raising any concerns about the company’s practices.
Last year’s report was noted as the first where HCSEC could no longer assure that risks had been...
Three UK is the latest operator to voice concern that banning Huawei equipment will delay its 5G rollout.
David Dyson, CEO of Three UK, warned that such a ban would delay the rollout of 5G services by up to 18 months.
"We've already started to deploy equipment for when we launch 5G in the second half of the year," he said. "So if we had to change vendor now, we would take a big step backwards and probably cause a delay of 12 to 18 months."
The UK is under pressure from the US to ban...
Huawei's lawsuit against the US government is a bold gamble that will either backfire or prove claims about the Chinese firm are unfounded.
The company has been embattled with the US for many years but has recently come under increased pressure ahead of 5G rollouts. Huawei filed a lawsuit against the US government earlier this month for what it called ‘unconstitutional’ treatment.
The US has been pressuring its allies not to...
Officials from the Trump administration have warned the UK's approach to 5G security is ‘deeply concerning’.
Senior officials criticised the UK's long-standing approach of testing Chinese equipment prior to use in critical infrastructure. According to them, it's not enough.
Equipment is tested at the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) in Banbury, Oxfordshire. HCSEC said it was confident the equipment poses no threat until a recent report which highlighted concerns about...
Chinese President Xi Jinping is flying to Europe in a bid to ease concerns around his nation’s investments in areas such as telecoms.
Xi will be visiting Italy as a priority ahead of the Italian government expected to join China's global trade infrastructure programme. An Italian official said last week that Rome would sign a memorandum of understanding with Beijing to support a US$1 trillion initiative known as the ‘New Silk Road’.
Other European nations have expressed concerns about...
The EU Parliament has stated it has ‘deep concerns’ about Chinese 5G gear while German intelligence officials brand Huawei's gear untrustworthy.
Europe has been fairly open to Chinese telecoms vendors in the past, so companies such as Huawei were hopeful European countries wouldn't follow the likes of the US and Australia in banning equipment.
To be clear – the EU Parliament hasn't yet banned Chinese 5G equipment, but its comments today are pretty damning.
“MEPs...
Vodafone has chimed-in on whether the UK government should ban the use of Huawei 5G equipment in national networks.
The operator has Huawei equipment installed in a third of its base stations. If the government were to ban the Chinese vendor’s gear, Vodafone would have quite a task replacing it all.
Speaking to Reuters, Vodafone UK CTO Scott Petty said:
“If we were forced...
Huawei believes it’s being unfairly treated by the US and is suing the government in a bid to overturn a ban of its equipment.
On Wednesday, the Chinese telecoms giant paid a visit to Eastern Texas’ federal district court to request a permanent injunction against the ban.
Huawei is even seeking a declaratory judgement the ban was unconstitutional.
The US has banned Huawei over fears of Beijing state control and that its equipment could be used for surveillance purposes. It has been lobbying its...
Former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull gave his views on the use of Chinese telecoms equipment in Western networks during an event in London.
Australia was among the first to ban Chinese vendors from its national 5G networks, and it was one of Turnbull’s final decisions before he was replaced.
Speaking to an audience at the Henry Jackson Society, which included many prominent British MPs, Turnbull said:
“One of the final decisions made while I was prime minister, as a decision...
Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is suing Canadian authorities for alleged unlawful conduct following her arrest in the country last December.
According to Meng’s lawyers, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) delayed executing her arrest warrant in a bid to extract added evidence from her before she was arrested.
Her lawyers further alleged the officers breached Meng’s right to privacy during the luggage search. The lawsuit claims border officials “knew or were recklessly...