Vodafone found flaws in Huawei equipment but denies security risk

Chinese technology company at centre of spying fears removed vulnerabilities after being made aware of them in 2011 and 2012

Vodafone has revealed it found security flaws in Huawei router equipment but denies that these could have given the Chinese technology company unauthorised access to homes and businesses.

Europe’s largest phone operator discovered a “backdoor” in software supplied by Huawei in 2011 and 2012.

Vodafone asked Huawei to remove vulnerabilities from its home internet routers in Italy in 2011. Later testing revealed that this had not been done despite Huawei’s assurances. The issues discovered by Vodafone were eventually resolved but the revelations will do little to allay spying fears around Huawei.

Vodafone denied reports that the flaws could have given Huawei unauthorised access to networks.

The US is fronting efforts to freeze Huawei out of superfast communications networks over fears that the Chinese tech firm’s equipment could be used for mass surveillance by Beijing authorities. Huawei strongly denies any links to espionage and has said US allegations are politically motivated.

A number of large telecoms companies, including Vodafone, are also reviewing their involvement with Huawei.

But UK government officials are reportedly ready to allow the company, a market leader in new 5G mobile technology, to play a role.

The security flaw found by Vodafone was a “protocol that is commonly used by many vendors in the industry for performing diagnostic functions”, a spokesperson for the mobile network company said.

“It would not have been accessible from the internet.”

The spokesperson added: “This was nothing more than a failure to remove a diagnostic function after development.

“The issues were identified by independent security testing, initiated by Vodafone as part of our routine security measures, and fixed at the time by Huawei.”

A Huawei spokesperson said: ‘We were made aware of historical vulnerabilities in 2011 and 2012 and they were addressed at the time.”

Besides spying claims, Huawei has faced US allegations that it flouted sanctions on Iran and attempted to steal trade secrets from a business partner.

The company and several of its supporters have claimed that the attacks are motivated by political and economic concerns, rather than genuine fears about national security.

Huawei is seen as one of the most significant challengers to the dominance of US technology giants like Apple, Google and Microsoft.

On Monday, a US state department official suggested that Washington may withhold intelligence from the UK if Theresa May’s government uses Huawei to build its next-generation mobile internet infrastructure.

“It is the United States’ position that putting Huawei or any other untrustworthy vendor in any part of the 5G telecommunications network is a risk,” said Robert Strayer, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for cyber, international communications and information policy.

“If other countries insert and allow untrusted vendors to build out and become the vendors for their 5G networks we will have to reassess the ability for us to share information and be connected with them in the ways that we are today.

“Exactly how that will be done will depend on the risk of the equipment that is put into the networks.”