Daily Mail

Huawei still won’t quell spying fears, warns GCHQ

- By Katherine Rushton Media and Technology Editor

CybEr chiefs at the UK’s spy headquarte­rs say Chinese tech giant Huawei has not produced a ‘credible plan’ to address security concerns.

Dr Ian Levy, technical director of GCHQ’s cyber arm, said the firm had declared its ‘intent’ to deal with the problems – but it has not yet explained how it will do so.

‘Last year we said we found some worrying engineerin­g and security issues,’ he said yesterday.

‘As of today, we have not seen a credible plan. That’s the reality of the situation unfortunat­ely.’

Dr Levy’s warning came as his colleague, the head of the National Cyber Security Centre, insisted that the concerns about the company were to do with its security standards rather than its link to China.

Ciaran Martin added that the centre ‘will not declare the problems are on the path to being solved unless and until there is clear evidence that this is the case’.

He said: ‘Huawei’s presence is subject to detailed, formal oversight, led by the NCSC. because of our 15 years of dealings with the company, we have a wealth of understand­ing of it. We also have strict

‘Worrying security issues’

controls for how Huawei is deployed. It is not in any sensitive networks – including those of the Government.

‘Our regime is arguably the toughest and most rigorous oversight regime in the world for Huawei.’

He also said that generally, the NCSC had seen little evidence the nationalit­y of those supplying infrastruc­ture equipment raised the likelihood of a cyber attack.

This week, NCSC chiefs said the risk of using Huawei technology in new, superfast 5G internet can be contained despite concerns over Chinese espionage.

It comes after reports of a Cabinet rift between Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson over the potential threat of Huawei.

The Commons science and technology committee had asked them for reassuranc­es about the extent Chinese laws could compel its firms to help intelligen­ce work, The Times reported.

Mr Williamson had wanted to warn of the risks posed by Huawei in a separate, more robust statement to the other two MPs.

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