FBI, CIA, and NSA: Don't Use Huawei Phones (cnbc.com)

The heads of six top U.S. intelligence agencies told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday they would not advise Americans to use products or services from Chinese smartphone maker Huawei. "The six -- including the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA and the director of national intelligence -- first expressed their distrust of Apple-rival Huawei and fellow Chinese telecom company ZTE in reference to public servants and state agencies," reports CNBC. From the report: "We're deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don't share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks," FBI Director Chris Wray testified. "That provides the capacity to exert pressure or control over our telecommunications infrastructure," Wray said. "It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage."

In a response, Huawei said that it "poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT vendor." A spokesman said in a statement: "Huawei is aware of a range of U.S. government activities seemingly aimed at inhibiting Huawei's business in the U.S. market. Huawei is trusted by governments and customers in 170 countries worldwide and poses no greater cybersecurity risk than any ICT vendor, sharing as we do common global supply chains and production capabilities."

Comments

Huawei isn't an Apple rival.

[bjwest]

Huawei competes with the likes of Samsung, LG, Motorola and all other Android phones. Apple really has no rival as they control the entire garden within their walls.

Re:Huawei isn't an Apple rival.

[thegarbz]

Just because someone has their own ecosystem doesn't mean they aren't competing with single vendors from other ecosystems.

It smells more and more of protectionism

[Anonymous Coward]

They are simply bypassing adding a barrier of entry which would be illegal by pretending they are a security risk. That could backfire a lot though, because so far only the US was caught with the hand in the malware cookie jar, and massively intercepting comms. That could turn around and bite the US in the ass, why trust anything including new computer plateform when it is spied upon NSA, subpoenaed even if server are not physically in the US, and most probably bugged to hell by the NSA ? Huawei was never caught red handed. The US and NSA was. By using this tactic , the US may remind OTHER countries who was the one governement which was caught doing what they pretend Huawei is doing....

Translation:

[Anonymous Coward]

We've begged this company to allow backdoors in their products and they have refused, so please don't use their products, m'kay!

Re:Translation:

[Archangel Michael]

The scary thing is, we have all the evidence we need that they (The US Government) can spy on anyone they want. And they lie about it. And nothing happens when they do lie about it. Why anyone trusts anything they say is beyond me.

Re:Translation:

[Obfuscant]

Exactly. If you're doing something the Chinese government would be interested in, sure, I can see avoiding their stuff.

Malware doesn't always have to be watching users and grabbing their data. They can also be getting hooks into the US wireless infrastructure.

But if it is ok that the Chinese do watch everything you do, that's ok with me.

it seems to me that using something one's own government hates is actually a good thing.

So when the FDA or EPA bans something you run right out and start downing massive quantities because anything the FDA hates must be a good thing?

Re:Translation:

[Obfuscant]

Why anyone trusts anything they say is beyond me.

It is pretty well accepted as fact that the Chinese manufacturers can insert all kinds of backdoors into the networking hardware they manufacture. The US government saying that a Chinese phone manufacturer can do that, too, does not take a real leap of faith.

I've used Chinese-made network hardware that I've seen sending data back to an unidentified server in China. I don't doubt that a cell phone manufacturer might be able and willing to do the same. The difference is that it is trivial to install a firewall block on the server address for a piece of hardware on my network but impossible to install one on a cell phone using the cell network. (Before you say "root it, install cyanogen or similar open source, and install a firewall on your phone...", I'll point out that if the hardware is the culprit your software will not stop the communications.)

Er, what are these "values"?

[Archtech]

'"We're deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments that don't share our values to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks," FBI Director Chris Wray testified'.

I wonder if Mr Wray would care to state exactly what "our values" are. I suspect the reason why politicians (and make no mistake, the FBI Director is a politician first, last and foremost) never list "our values" is either because they have forgotten what they are supposed to be, or because they are afraid listeners would burst out laughing.

Democracy? The USA was never meant to be a democracy - quite the contrary - and it is now definitely a plutocracy.
Freedom? That depends, doesn't it - whose freedom to do what to whom?
Freedom of speech? "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them". - Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar, Ch. XX
Freedom of assembly? Not anywhere near where any politicians are having a meeting, or anywhere the armed forces say you can't go.
A free market? Everything is rigged, starting with interest rates and including the stock and bond markets.

I could go on but I don't want to bore anyone.

Re:Er, what are these "values"?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's hilarious when an online nerd tries to explain complex topics by reducing them to 140 character tweets.

Re:Er, what are these "values"?

[sit1963nz]

Um it think those values are "We come in peace, shoot to kill" Lets face it, any country that will elect a sexual predator as its leader lacks any moral stance worth emulating.

Well....

[Anonymous Coward]

Honestly, the Chinese government has no power or authority over me, so if that government took my data I'd mind a whole lot less than if it was my own government.

I'm not really sure what the risk level is here for the average person while using a product from Huawei, it just doesn't seem any more significant than using Google, Facebook, Apple, or other tech company products that already surveil the hell out of you.

This fails the smell test

[ArhcAngel]

By their logic we shouldn't be buying Lenovo, Motorola, Apple (Foxconn), or any of over a hundred other Chinese OEM's devices. The excuse that Apple controls the OS isn't even a solid argument as the firmware is still in the hands of the OEM and susceptible to tampering. There's something else pushing this narrative. Be interesting to find out what it is.

Goose, meet gander

[Archtech]

Also, of course, if Americans are not to use Chinese devices in case the Chinese government spies on them - who (outside the USA) is going to want to use American devices?

We know for sure that the US government systematically spies on Americans, and if they spy on Americans they certainly wouldn't baulk at spying on foreigners.

So, goodbye all Apple sales to China, Russia, India, Europe, Africa, South America...

Unfair competition?

[NuclearCat]

*sniff sniff*, smells like bullshit.
Isn't such agencies should come up with solid proof first, before accusing anyone? Or they became oligarch/multinationals mercenary - like law enforcement agencies in Putin Russia?
What if China cut, in retaliation, and in their traditions - much more harsh way, Apple? 1/4-1/3 of profit gone? (and other countries might enjoy following trend)

Legitimate security concern or something else?

[WolfgangVL]

FBI, CIA, NSA: Encryption bad! Spying good! Privacy bad!

They almost got it right. I'll fix it.

"We're deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to ANY government, as NONE OF THEM share our values, to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks," FBI Director Chris Wray should have testified. "That provides the capacity to exert pressure or control over our telecommunications infrastructure," Wray should have said. "It provides the capacity to maliciously modify or steal information. And it provides the capacity to conduct undetected espionage that is currently only OK for Uncle Sam and his secret courts"

Re:Apple (Focxonn) okay?

[AK Marc]

US officially operates under a One China policy, where Beijing is recognized, but Taiwan isn't. And China considers Taiwan to be an autonomous region, like Hong Kong and Macau. And Foxconn is operating in China, so are subject to the laws and practices of China. One should assume that Foxconn is a Chinese company.

Though, I have no idea why Huawei is targeted. They have no official ties to the China government, and, unlike Cisco, have never put in a backdoor for government control. I'd be much more worried about American companies. The government has requested backdoors publicly, and privately, and there have been some confirmed and found. It does not matter that they are intended for US operatives only, once they are in, they can be compromised by others.

I guess it's just plain racism. China bad. America good.

Re:Apple (Focxonn) okay?

[Bing Tsher E]

Though, I have no idea why Huawei is targeted. They have no official ties to the China government, and, unlike Cisco, have never put in a backdoor for government control.

Ding ding ding. The NSA wants a back door that they control in every phone.