It’s no surprise that the US has been on the offense against using Huawei’s technology. Publicly, however, there has not been much disclosed as to why the push exists. Fortunately, a source speaking to The Times has some insight as to what is going on.
According to a source that spoke with The Times, CIA has told UK intelligence officials that Huawei has received funding from Chinese state security, including the People’s Liberation Army, the National Security Commission, as well as a “third branch” of China’s state intelligence network. The source further stated that VIA shared the information with the UK and other Five Eyes nations (Australia, Canada and New Zealand) about their beliefs in early 2019.
Huawei spokesperson declined to provide a statement to The Times, and said that they were “unsubstantiated allegations backed up by zero evidence from anonymous sources.”
Security Risks Found
Everything being said against Huawei are not just words. A UK oversight board has previously found potential security risks in Huawei’s equipment, such as running an old operating system set to lose its security updates next year.
Direct evidence of installing back doors and other spying facilities in its equipment has not been found. Huawei has faced several accusation already because of purported sanctions violations and trade secret theft. While evidence has not shown that Huawei is spying, there are lingering concerns to the company receiving direction from Chinese intelligence outlets.
