Category Archives: ZTE

House defense bill would usher in cybersecurity changes at DOD

Posted on by

The House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly passed a defense policy bill with several cybersecurity measures aimed at better securing Pentagon networks. The legislation — the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) — seeks closer collaboration between the departments of Defense and Homeland Security in defending against hackers, asks for quick notification of data breaches of military personnel, and continues to crack down on foreign-made telecom products that are deemed security threats. The NDAA is an annual ritual that lawmakers use to shape Pentagon policies and budget plans while throwing in some pet projects to boot. The House bill — a $717 billion behemoth — eventually will be merged with the Senate’s version, which that chamber’s Armed Services Committee also approved this week. It’s unclear when the Senate bill will have floor votes. One key provision of the House bill, according to the Rules Committee print, would set up a pilot program for […]

The post House defense bill would usher in cybersecurity changes at DOD appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading House defense bill would usher in cybersecurity changes at DOD→

Potential Trump deal to ease sanctions on China’s ZTE riles Congress

Posted on by

U.S. lawmakers are preparing to block any attempt by President Donald Trump to significantly soften sanctions against the Chinese telecom giant ZTE. While Trump said Tuesday that a deal has yet to be finalized, members of Congress continued to take a hard line against the company, which the Commerce Department banned from accessing U.S. technology after it sold equipment to Iran and North Korea. Chinese President Xi Jinping has been pushing Trump to relax the U.S. stance while American lawmakers, intelligence agencies and military officials have been emphasizing the longstanding national security grievances against the Chinese firm. The reported deal would lift the American sales ban against ZTE. In light of all the criticism, Trump’s potential solution “is like a wet noodle,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said. The latest strike against ZTE — which admitted wrongdoing and blamed internal processes on failing to fire sanctions violators rather than intentional malice — sent shock waves through the […]

The post Potential Trump deal to ease sanctions on China’s ZTE riles Congress appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Potential Trump deal to ease sanctions on China’s ZTE riles Congress→

House measure asks DHS to share info on potential ZTE cyber threat

Posted on by

A new House of Representatives measure would direct the Department of Homeland Security to give lawmakers more information on potential cybersecurity threats posed by Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE. The “resolution of inquiry” introduced by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., would task DHS with giving the committee an assessment of cyber risks introduced by any use of ZTE products on federal, state, and local government networks. U.S. intelligence officials have warned of the risk of cyber-espionage from ZTE due to its alleged ties to the Chinese government, and the U.S. government has fined the company for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran and North Korea. The Pentagon earlier this month told vendors on military bases to stop selling devices from ZTE and another Chinese state-linked telecoms firm, Huawei. ZTE has denied those allegations, saying it values privacy and cybersecurity. In an abrupt divergence from U.S. officials’ warnings, President Donald Trump on Sunday tweeted that […]

The post House measure asks DHS to share info on potential ZTE cyber threat appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading House measure asks DHS to share info on potential ZTE cyber threat→

Pentagon orders military exchanges to pull Chinese smartphones over security risks

Posted on by

Huawei and ZTE are already telephones non gratae, tied too close for comfort to the Chinese Communist Party and People’s Liberation Army back home. Continue reading Pentagon orders military exchanges to pull Chinese smartphones over security risks→

Pentagon bars Huawei, ZTE devices from sale on military bases

Posted on by

The Department of Defense is telling vendors on military bases to stop selling smartphones and other devices made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE, citing security concerns, according to a Pentagon statement. The news comes as the U.S. government scrutinizes the two companies for potentially enabling Chinese espionage through their technology. “Huawei and ZTE devices may pose an unacceptable risk to Department’s personnel, information and mission,” Pentagon spokesperson Major David Eastburb said in a statement. “In light of this information, it was not prudent for the Department’s exchanges to continue selling them to DoD personnel.” Pentagon-affiliated news outlet Stars and Stripes reported last month that Huawei phones were being sold by a TKS, a vendor to U.S. military bases in Germany. The company markets telecommunications services and devices to U.S. service members abroad. Eastburn says the order to stop selling Huawei-made phones, modems and other devices went out on Friday and the […]

The post Pentagon bars Huawei, ZTE devices from sale on military bases appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Pentagon bars Huawei, ZTE devices from sale on military bases→

Flawed routers with hardcoded passwords were manufactured by firm that posed ‘national security risk’ to UK

Posted on by

Researchers discovered it was possible to compromise Hyperoptic’s ZTE-manufactured routers simply by tricking an intended victim into clicking on a malicious link.
Read more in my article on the Hot for Security blog.
Continue reading Flawed routers with hardcoded passwords were manufactured by firm that posed ‘national security risk’ to UK→

Senators push bill banning Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE from being used in government

Posted on by

Two senators have introduced a bill that would prohibit the U.S. government from contracting with companies that use equipment or services from Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who are both on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said they are proposing the bill because of concerns that the companies enable Chinese espionage. The legislation is a companion to a bill proposed in the House by Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, last month. “Huawei is effectively an arm of the Chinese government, and it’s more than capable of stealing information from U.S. officials by hacking its devices,” Cotton said in a press release. “There are plenty of other companies that can meet our technology needs, and we shouldn’t make it any easier for China to spy on us.” In 2012, the House Intelligence Committee released an investigative report that alleged that Huawei and ZTE have ties to […]

The post Senators push bill banning Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE from being used in government appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Senators push bill banning Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE from being used in government→

Senators push bill banning Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE from being used in government

Posted on by

Two senators have introduced a bill that would prohibit the U.S. government from contracting with companies that use equipment or services from Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who are both on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said they are proposing the bill because of concerns that the companies enable Chinese espionage. The legislation is a companion to a bill proposed in the House by Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, last month. “Huawei is effectively an arm of the Chinese government, and it’s more than capable of stealing information from U.S. officials by hacking its devices,” Cotton said in a press release. “There are plenty of other companies that can meet our technology needs, and we shouldn’t make it any easier for China to spy on us.” In 2012, the House Intelligence Committee released an investigative report that alleged that Huawei and ZTE have ties to […]

The post Senators push bill banning Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE from being used in government appeared first on Cyberscoop.

Continue reading Senators push bill banning Chinese tech firms Huawei and ZTE from being used in government→