Jul 25, 2022 11:50:00

'Huawei equipment was actually able to intercept communications about US Department of Defense nuclear weapons,' the FBI claims.

Due to concerns that it threatens the security of domestic communication infrastructure, the United States is focusing on eliminating the equipment of Chinese telecommunications carrier Huawei from the communication infrastructure, and Huawei equipment already deployed in various parts of the country We have also put in a strict investigation machine. Under such circumstances, it is reported that the FBI is concerned that Huawei equipment placed by a private American company 'was able to send information to China.'

CNN Exclusive: FBI investigation determined Chinese-made Huawei equipment could disrupt US nuclear arsenal communications --CNN Politics

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/23/politics/fbi-investigation-huawei-china-defense-department-communications-nuclear/

The equipment in question is deployed in a communications tower near the FE Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, USA.

This tower is used by Viaero, an American Internet service provider. Since around 2014, Viaero has installed dozens of high-definition surveillance cameras on the tower, and started a service to broadcast the weather and traffic conditions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and share it with the local news media. A Huawei network camera was used as part of this surveillance camera.

However, this camera accidentally captured the equipment and personnel movements of the air force base, and it is highly likely that the Chinese government is viewing the images captured by the camera, and in some cases, it broke into the network and took the camera. The FBI believes it was possible to control it. The FBI also points out that Huawei equipment intercepted highly restricted radio waves used by the military, interrupting important communications and sending information about U.S. nuclear weapons to the Chinese government. ..

The FBI is investigating that it has given other countries the ability to track the activity patterns of strictly protected military facilities, but there is evidence that some data was actually intercepted and China It is unknown whether evidence of data transmission was found. From a technical point of view, it is very difficult to prove that some information was stolen and sent abroad, according to people familiar with the matter.

In 2020, the United States

designated Huawei and ZTE, a Chinese telecommunications carrier, as a 'national security threat' and planned to virtually eliminate them from the country. In 2021, we enacted the 'Secure Equipment Act' with the aim of eliminating Huawei / ZTE equipment not only from government organizations but also from private companies. However, it is estimated that it will cost as much as 5.6 billion dollars (about 760 billion yen) to completely eliminate the equipment of both companies from the US network, and it is currently taking time to realize it. This cost should be fully contributed by the government, but as of July 2022, there is a shortage of more than $ 3 billion (about 410 billion yen), so the government has switched to a policy of paying about 40% of the removal cost. It is reported that it has started. Although more than 20,000 applications for removal have been sent to the government, they have not actually been removed yet.

While the FBI is investigating Huawei equipment from these concerns, Viaero is skeptical of the claim that China could control the camera. According to Viaero, the company has taken over the support and maintenance of its network from Huawei when installing the camera, and it knows exactly if there is any inappropriate activity.

'I knew there was a military base in the area the camera could see, but the military never asked me to remove the camera,' said Viaero. Frank Dirico said he learned for the first time from a newspaper article, not from the FBI, that the FBI was investigating this time. Dirico said he understood the government's claim to 'remove Huawei equipment,' but disagreed with the claim that Chinese intelligence could abuse Huawei equipment.

Huawei said in this regard, 'All of our products imported into the United States have been tested and certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) before being deployed in the United States. Our equipment has been allocated for commercial use by the FCC. It works only in the frequency bands that it has and has no access to the frequency bands assigned to the Department of Defense. For over 30 years Huawei has a solid track record in cybersecurity and we are committed to any malicious cybersecurity incidents. Has never been involved. '

There is no doubt that the FBI had the ability of Huawei equipment to intercept the highly restricted radio waves used by the military, disrupting important communications and allowing the Chinese government to send information about US nuclear weapons. He is thinking and is investigating not only the example of Viaero but also multiple companies. Meanwhile, authorities have refused to provide evidence to support the claim that 'Huawei's technology poses a threat to national security,' and some critics have said that 'xenophobia is an overkill.' Is accused. The lack of conclusive evidence also raises the question of whether US authorities can separate 'legal investment in China' from 'spying.'