A thread on GCHQ and Huawei: however the government frames today's announcement it's fair to say that UK cyber security professionals have deep reservations about the Chinese company 1/6
This stems in part from the experience of using Huawei to modernise the BT's trunk fibre optic system during 2005-2010. According to GCHQ sources, "essentially they gave themselves the ability to switch off the UK internet" because of the installed hardware 2/6
Huawei denied they had compromised the UK fibre optic system & agreed to the setting up in 2010 of a test centre where GCHQ could rigorously examine its hard & software. The company insists it's never been faulted, but that's not really the point 3/6
Huawei's equipment has never got the all clear either. In their latest report government cyber experts say they can only provide 'limited assurance' that risks to UK national security from Huawei's role in telecoms can be successfully mitigated 4/6 assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
Given the extensive use of Huawei eqpt in UK 3 & 4G phone system, the cyber security experts find themselves caught by political & business factors. "It's all politics now, not facts setting the agenda", one tells me, but agrees that risks of using Huawei 'manageable' 5/6
Another former GCHQ type concerned with monitoring Huawei in the past though disagrees, saying, "this decision will bite us on the bum" and has been based largely on the telcos' preference for cheaper Huawei gear 6/6
