Agency warns against the use of Huawei and ZTE solutions

Dec 18, 2018 08:36 GMT  ·  By

The Czech Republic is the latest state to warn against the use of Huawei and ZTE products, warning that software and hardware developed by the two Chinese companies present a security threat.

The National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NCISA) says in an official warning dated December 17 that the two companies’ ties with the Beijing government, as well as the “conduct of influence and espionage intelligence activities” that China runs in the Czech Republic, could pose a threat to the security of the country.

“The security community’s findings on the activities of these companies in the Czech Republic and around the world, which are available to NCISA, raise reasonable concerns about the existence of potential risks in using the technical or program tools they provide to their customers in order to support the interests of the PRC,” the agency says without providing any specifics on these findings.

Germany: Spying not happening

It’s not yet clear if the Czech Republic has any evidence that Huawei and ZTE are spying for Beijing, but German authorities have recently stated there’s no reason to believe this is happening.

Germany conducted its own investigation on Huawei products sold in the country and elsewhere and said it found no proof the company may be involved in cyber-espionage.

The Czech agency, on the other hand, says the risk of such activities “is not negligible” and warns that Chinese companies cooperating with the Beijing government could expose secret information when products developed by these brands are being used.

„Issue of this warning concludes our findings and those of our allies and security partners. The main issue is a legal and political environment of the People’s Republic of China, where aforementioned companies primarily operate. China’s laws, among other things, require private companies residing in China to cooperate with intelligence services, therefore introducing them into the key state systems might present a threat,” says the director of NCISA Dušan Navrátil.

Several other countries, including the United States and Japan, have already decided to ban Huawei from connecting to their 5G networks due to concerns of cyber espionage.