I had a 2013 ZTE flip phone up until about six months ago. Hmmm...
Posted on 05/05/2018 6:40:37 AM PDT by Enlightened1
Washington (AFP) - Personnel on US military bases can no longer buy phones and other gear manufactured by Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE, after the Pentagon said the devices pose an "unacceptable" security risk.
Concerns have heightened at the Pentagon about consumer electronics being used to snoop on or track service members.
"Huawei and ZTE devices may pose an unacceptable risk to (military) personnel, information and mission," Pentagon spokesman Major Dave Eastburn said on Friday.
"In light of this information, it was not prudent for the Department's exchanges to continue selling them," he added, referring to the military-run shops on US bases around the world.
Eastburn said the order to pull Huawei devices was given on April 25.
"Given security concerns about ZTE cell phones and related products, the (Pentagon's) exchange services also removed ZTE products from their stores," he said.
Eastburn could not discuss the technical aspects of the potential threats, but The Wall Street Journal said the Pentagon fears the Chinese government could track soldiers using Huawei or ZTE devices.
Huawei spokesman Charles Zinkowski said the firm's devices meet the highest standards of security, privacy and engineering in every country it operates in, including the US.
"We remain committed to openness and transparency in everything we do and want to be clear that no government has ever asked us to compromise the security or integrity of any of our networks or devices," Zinkowski said in a statement.
ZTE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In January, the Pentagon said it was reviewing its policy on fitness apps and wearable fitness trackers after exercise-logging company Strava published a map compiling its users' activity.
In Iraq and Syria, viewers could easily spot beacons of activity in remote places where military bases are located, presumably favorite jogging..
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
I had a 2013 ZTE flip phone up until about six months ago. Hmmm...
They’ll steal all your stuff
You can’t track people and steal all their stuff! That’s the US government’s job!
Change the name of the company and relabel all the phones, send from a new location, etc. It’ll take the US another 5 years to catch up, again. It annoys the heck out me that troops are allowed to carry such devices into operational areas anyway!! Give away locations much? Tactical intel much? Names much? Good grief!!
I was considering a ZTE phone earlier this year. I’m glad I went with LG.
The African Union headquarters hack and Australia’s 5G network
In January 2018, France’s Le Monde newspaper published an investigation, based on multiple sources, which found that from January 2012 to January 2017 servers based inside the AU’s headquarters in Addis Ababa were transferring data between 12 midnight and 2 am—every single night—to unknown servers more than 8,000 kilometres away hosted in Shanghai. Following the discovery of what media referred to as ‘data theft’, it was also reported that microphones hidden in desks and walls were detected and removed during a sweep for bugs.
What seems to have been entirely missed in the media coverage at the time was the name of the company that served as the key ICT provider inside the AU’s headquarters.
It was Huawei.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-african-union-headquarters-hack-and-australias-5g-network/
In what is the first known instance of Huawei being used by the Chinese government as a conduit for intelligence gathering, the national security source said an unnamed “high-risk vendor” - confirmed by The Weekend Australian to be Huawei - had featured in intelligence reporting.
“I am aware of intelligence that indicates that certain high-risk vendors have been asked for assistance by foreign intelligence services,” the source said.
The Weekend Australian has confirmed that the attempted breach related to a foreign network, not an Australian one.
While some governments, including Australia’s, have locked Huawei out of sensitive projects or acquisitions, the risk has until now been regarded as theoretical.
Huawei was one of two companies banned from participation in the construction of Australia’s 5G network, which is expected to be up and running by next year. The other was Chinese firm ZTE.
Dead link
Article is behind their paywall.
Nope. Maybe they’re suppressing this story?
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China has delivered a blunt warning to Australia over its banning of Chinese telco Huawei from the future 5G network, arguing Australia’s “paranoia” is threatening future economic co-operation between the countries.
In one of China’s strongest criticisms of the Federal Government’s ban on the state-owned giant, the China Institute of International Studies’ Ruan Zongze said Australia’s policy was “not a way of doing business” and other Chinese companies had taken notice of its negative message.
The CIIS is affiliated with China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Earlier this week, Australia’s spy chief Mike Burgess spelt out reasons for the ban on “high-risk vendors”, saying a threat in the network would undermine the entire project.
Authorities in the US and elsewhere have alleged Huawei’s technology could be used to spy on customers. “The stakes could not be higher,” Mr Burgess said.
https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/chinese-up-in-arms-over-huawei-ban-ng-b881008570z
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also dismissed the Times story, calling such reports “evidence that the New York Times makes fake news.”
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, she also offered two suggestions apparently aimed at the Trump administration.
“If they are really very worried about Apple phones being bugged, then they can change to using Huawei,” she said, referring to China’s biggest telecommunications equipment maker.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-cellphone-china/worried-about-trump-iphone-eavesdroppers-china-recommends-a-huawei-idUSKCN1MZ02A
Helping the Chinese military bring its scientific talent and knowledge up to world-class standards is not in Australia’s interests and demands a response from the government and universities. The issues raised by this collaboration have not yet been addressed by governments and universities around the world.
Governments and universities should work together to advance scientific progress and foster cooperation while ensuring that any research collaboration is in the national interest. The Australian government should develop a clear policy on collaboration with the Chinese military that informs legislative and other responses.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/how-the-wests-research-aids-chinas-military/
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