espionage

Los Alamos National Laboratory is reportedly removing network switches made by a partnership that once included controversial Chinese telecommunication gear maker Huawei because of national security concerns.

But Huawei, which was rebuked last fall by the House Intelligence Committee for posing a national threat because of potential ties to the Chinese government, hasn't been part of H3C Technologies, the partnership that makes the switches, since 2006, Reuters reported.

Huawei created H3C as a joint venture with 3Com in 2003. Three years later, 3Com bought Huawei's stake in the venture. And in 2010, Hewlett-Packard bought 3Com.

All of which … Read more

Congress needs to take action to deflect the growing threat of Chinese cyber-espionage against the U.S., a U.S. commission recommends in a new report.

Released today, the 500-page annual report to Congress by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission details various security issues concerning China. But the commission expressed particular fear over the country's ongoing cyberwarfare efforts.

Calling China the "most threatening actor in cyberspace," the report found that in 2012, Chinese state-sponsored hackers continued to target computers systems run by the U.S. government and military as well those maintained in … Read more

Huawei has offered to give the Australian government "unrestricted" access to the firm's software source code and hardware equipment in an effort to dispel security fears, months after the Chinese telecoms giant was barred from supplying infrastructure equipment for the country's national broadband network.

The Australian government barred Huawei from bidding on contracts for the network earlier this year, saying it had a "a responsibility to do our utmost to protect [the network's] integrity and that of the information carried on it".

John Lord, Huawei's Australian chairman, said on Thursday that the … Read more

An 18-month review by the White House found "no clear evidence" that Chinese telecommunications gear maker Huawei had performed any spying on behalf of the Chinese government, according to a Reuters report.

The news service, citing two unnamed sources, said the White House looked into reports of suspicious activity, with the help of intelligence agencies and other government departments, and queried nearly 1,000 telecom equipment buyers. One of the sources said that "certain parts of government" very much wanted evidence of espionage. In the end, though, they came up with nothing definitive.

"We would … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C.--The House Intelligence Committee released a report this morning, accusing two Chinese makers of telecommunications gear of posing a national security threat and discouraging American businesses from buying their equipment.

In a 52-page report, the committee said that neither Huawei or ZTE addressed concerns raised repeatedly by lawmakers over their ability to snoop on American companies or individuals. And neither company was able to convince the committee that they could not be persuaded by the Chinese government to aid its espionage efforts if enlisted to do so.

"Neither company was willing to provide sufficient evidence to … Read more

The House Intelligence Committee investigating national security threats posed by two Chinese telecommunications-gear makers is set to release a report Monday that seems likely to ratchet up pressure.

The committee held a three-hour hearing last month, during which lawmakers repeatedly criticized Huawei and ZTE for being vague in answering questions about whether their networking equipment could be used to snoop on American companies and individuals. At the end of the hearing, committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) expressed some consternation that the companies hadn't been more forthcoming in addressing his concerns.

"I can say that I am a little … Read more

Researchers have uncovered a new cyberespionage campaign being waged on a large Philippine oil company, a Taiwanese military organization and a Canadian energy firm, as well as targets in Brazil, Israel, Egypt and Nigeria.

The malware being used is called "Mirage" and it leaves a backdoor on the computer that waits for instructions from the attacker, said Silas Cutler, a security researcher at Dell SecureWorks' Counter Threat Unit (CTU).

Victims are carefully targeted with so-called "spear-phishing" e-mails with attachments that are "droppers" designed to look and behave like PDF documents. However, they are actually … Read more

Huawei, the Chinese mobile company hoping to make its way to the U.S. and elsewhere, expressed disappointment with the Australian government today for not being included in the country's National Broadband Network.

Speaking before the Australian parliamentary intelligence committee, Huawei Australia chairman John Lord said that his company was "disappointed" to learn that it was blocked from participation in the country's $38 billion NBN project. According to Reuters, Lord claimed that Huawei was given no reason for its exclusion and no chance to address any concerns that might have arisen.

A big company -- it … Read more