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Huawei Offers 'Complete and Unrestricted' Source Code Access

Posted by Soulskill on from the as-open-as-a-pr-campaign dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The BBC reports that 'Huawei has offered to give Australia unrestricted access to its software source code and equipment, as it looks to ease fears that it is a security threat. Questions have been raised about the Chinese telecom firm's ties to the military, something it has denied. Australia has previously blocked Huawei's plans to bid for work on its national broadband network. Huawei said it needed to dispel myths and misinformation.' But is this sufficient? Will they be able to obscure any backdoors written into their equipment?"

7 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. Source by bjb_admin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Does the Australian Govt have anyone that can actually properly security audit this? I am sure they are not going to want to spend the money to hire someone who can. Also, who is to say the binary blob firmware doesn't have a back door. Its not like the Australians are going to compile it and install it themselves.

    1. Re:Source by Lehk228 · · Score: 5, Informative

      not even the firmware, there could trivially be a on-chip backdoor,

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    2. Re:Source by AK+Marc · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes, though there's no evidence of any improper activities from any Huawei gear, and they are already a step ahead of US voting machines.

      In the US, voting machines pick the next president. With secret closed-source code in an industry with proven fraud and from companies with proven previous errors.

      In Australia, they have the source code for routers running a residential broadband network, and that's not good enough.

      Why does something seem wrong with that?

      --
      Learn to love Alaska
    3. Re:Source by socceroos · · Score: 5, Informative

      The DSD (Defence Signals Directorate) are the ones in Australia who would vet this equipment - they already do it for all equipment used by ASIO, ASIS and other secretive organisations here. The other thing to remember is that it was the DSD that told the Government not to trust Huawei's hardware. Now they get to have a good look at the code without the need to reverse engineer.

    4. Re:Source by overbaud · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The way this works is: 1. Cisco lobby US gov. 2. US gov put pressure on Aus gov. 3. Aus gov create FUD about cisco rival. 4. Aus gov buy cisco. 5. Profit - cisco and US senators.

      --
      Users... the only thing keeping 1st level support from being the bottom feeders.
  2. Cisco and Motorola may object by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...seeing as how it's their source code being released.

  3. The US government did it! by kawabago · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When American telecom companies won contracts to supply soviet satellite, I think it was Poland, with telecom equipment, The CIA or NSA or both managed to get back doors into the equipment to both monitor calls and in the event of hostilities, to shut the phone system down completely. If American companies let their Government subvert their technology in foreign countries, China would be foolish not to.