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LONDON – A UK study on Huawei has revealed "significant" security issues with the Chinese company's telecommunications equipment, a finding that bolsters US efforts to ban next-generation wireless networks.
The UK report, released on Thursday, revealed that there were "underlying flaws" in Huawei's software and security engineering processes that governments or independent hackers could exploit, posing risks as well. for national security. Although the report does not call for a total ban on Huawei equipment, it has been approved by the country's highest cybersecurity agency.
The findings support the Trump Administration's efforts to convince its allies that Huawei, the world's largest manufacturer of telecommunications equipment, creates serious risks to national security. The White House has accused Huawei of being a branch of the Chinese government that can be used to spy on or sabotage communication networks, a charge that Huawei vehemently denied.
But the American push has come up against obstacles. Many countries, including Britain, have resisted efforts to ban Huawei, arguing that the risk could be mitigated. The timing is critical for wireless service providers, who are preparing to spend billions of dollars to introduce next-generation wireless networks, called 5Gs, which governments see as a critical infrastructure for a fast-scanning global economy.
The UK report highlights the broader challenges that many countries face. While Huawei's products may pose cybersecurity risks, the company is a key supplier of equipment needed to build 5G networks. If countries impose a total ban, they could face costly delays when adopting technology that will not only increase the download speed of mobile phones, but should also create breakthroughs in manufacturing, transportation and health care. And Huawei is already a central part of many countries' telecommunications networks, making a logistically difficult ban.
Governments are seeking to continue to use Huawei's equipment while limiting its risks. Germany, India and the United Arab Emirates, among others, have indicated that they will probably not follow the US initiative to ban the ban on Huawei's 5G equipment.
In a statement, Huawei said the UK report "details some concerns about Huawei's software engineering capabilities.We understand these concerns and take them very seriously."
This week, the European Union issued recommendations on securing 5G networks that did not call for Huawei's ban. The UK government is expected to adopt new telecommunications regulations this year.
Huawei's relationship with the Chinese government, which maintains tight control over the national economy, is one of the main concerns raised by the United States and others advocating a ban. A law passed by China in 2017 has been interpreted as requiring companies to provide assistance in Beijing on national security issues.
The UK authorities are trying to distinguish Huawei's security breaches from Beijing's broader efforts to infiltrate its networks. The report released Thursday described a company with poor engineering practices and problems related to these engineering failures, many operating under the orders of the Chinese authorities.
In the report, British officials determined that Huawei could not replicate much of the software it had built, which means that the authorities could not know for sure which code was being introduced in the country's wireless networks. They added that Huawei did not have a good handle on suppliers who supplied components for its products.
"There is no end-to-end integrity," says the report.
Since 2010, Britain has a supervisory board, currently headed by the National Cybersecurity Center, to oversee Huawei's operations. The company's products and code are reviewed in a security lab located approximately 70 km from London. In November, after UK officials asked Huawei questions about his practices, the company pledged to spend $ 2 billion over five years to improve its software and security processes.
This approach is seen as a potential model for other countries seeking to strengthen their guarantees over Huawei. Germany has opened a security laboratory in Bonn where Huawei equipment and code can be revised. The company has also opened a facility in Brussels to appease the concerns of officials from the European Union.
British officials remained convinced that the Huawei risk can be managed. Ciaran Martin, head of the National Center for Cybersecurity, said this year that a total ban was not necessary because the country had strict control and kept Huawei equipment out of the most sensitive areas of its networks.
Yet Thursday's report remains extremely critical of Huawei. "No significant progress has been made," the report concluded.
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