Britain Slams Huawei for Failing to Address Security Risks

Huawei is putting U.K. national security at risk by failing to improve its devices and software, according to Bloomberg, citing a report by a U.K. security oversight body.

The annual report by the watchdog, which examines how the company conducts its U.K. operations and is funded by Huawei, concluded it has not seen anything to give it confidence in Huawei’s ability to improve defects in cyber security and software engineering. The publication of the report comes as the U.K. is preparing to roll out fifth-generation mobile networks. Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright is currently considering the results of a review into the resilience of the telecom supply chain.

While report from Huawei’s oversight board makes clear it “has seen nothing to give confidence“ that the company can fix its long-term security risk management, this is only one element Wright will examine before making recommendations to the National Security Council. The Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre and its oversight board are funded by Huawei, and staffed by both Huawei employees and representatives from the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre.

The Chinese company has a significant presence in the U.K. Huawei has signed contracts with all four U.K. mobile networks to test its 5G wireless equipment, deepening the Chinese vendor’s involvement in Britain’s telecom industry as officials weigh whether to ban the company over security concerns.

Although critical of Huawei, the U.K. is still no closer to putting in place any restrictions on the company. Taking a softer approach to Huawei could put the country at odds with some of its closest security counterparts, including in the so-called Five Eyes network, the pan-national intelligence sharing network which comprises the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.