Risks posed to UK telecoms infrastructure by Chinese tech giant Huawei can be mitigated, UK cyber security chiefs have concluded.   

While the NCSC’s report has not yet been published, the Financial Times reports that the Centre believes concerns can be alleviated and the situation controlled.

Although the decision has not been made public, a spokesperson for the Centre said: “The National Cyber Security Centre is committed to the security of UK networks, and we have a unique oversight and understanding of Huawei engineering and cyber-security.  

“As was made clear in July’s Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC) oversight board, the NCSC has concerns around Huawei’s engineering and security capabilities. We have set out the improvements we expect the company to make.” 

Concerns have been raised over the use of Chinese-made equipment in the UK’s communications systems, specifically 5G networks that are scheduled for rollout across the country.  

Vodafone and BT have already halted their use of Huawei components in their networks. 

Contradictory Comments

The NCSC’s conclusion that risks can be mitigated appears to contradict what a number of top-ranking government figures have proposed in recent months.  

A report published by The Sun earlier this month revealed that new laws could be introduced in the UK to block Chinese firms from critical infrastructure projects. The report suggested that members of the Government are growing increasingly concerned that Huawei equipment could be used to spy on UK companies and citizens.  

The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are believed to be some of the figures calling for a US-style blanket ban.  

Huawei has maintained that it has no links to the Chinese regime yet, despite its repeated denials, governments across the West have taken action due to growing fears that deploying Chinese tech could pose grave security risks.

What are the concerns?

Headlines featuring claims about shady Huawei activity throughout 2018 and early 2019 appear to have been overshadowed only by Facebook at times. 

Some of the key concerns surrounding Huawei’s involvement in network infrastructure projects point toward potential component “backdoors”, which in the long term could enable the Chinese Government to access – and cripple – rival nations’ network infrastructure. 

Huawei is the world’s biggest telecommunications manufacturer, producing the routers, servers and components that keep our digital world ticking over.

The company’s close ties to the Chinese Government have prompted investigations in the US over its alleged theft of T-Mobile smartphone tech. Central to the issue, however, lies US trade policy.

In 2017, President Donald Trump signed the Defense Authorization Act, which partly banned government use of Huawei and ZTE technology – although the legislation itself doesn’t reference the firm, it’s message is clear.

Elsewhere in Europe, a Huawei employee – along with a former member of the Polish intelligence service – was arrested in Poland on espionage charges.

Recommended: Huawei Cyber Security Risks Raised in UK Gov Report

In a 2018 report, the NCSC raised concerns about the firm’s hardware, but this was due to cybersecurity practices employed during the manufacturing process and not fully based on concerns that backdoors could be pounced upon by the Chinese Government. 

The report, compiled by the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre (HCSEC), warned over the firm’s lack of end-to-end traceability last year and found “serious issues” in the company’s use of commercial and third-party components – which it said were poorly managed and monitored. 

US-led spin or genuine risk?

Concrete evidence of Huawei acting as a proxy for the Chinese Government is yet to be disclosed, and the company has gone so far as to accuse the US Government of coordinating a “geopolitical campaign” to gain leverage over China amid ongoing trade tensions.  

While the NCSC’s evaluation of Huawei may appear to contradict a common belief among global counterparts, the US’ strong stance may have prompted moves to ban the firm’s equipment elsewhere.  

Earlier this month, the US ambassador to the European Union warned that nations still using Huawei equipment could face sanctions.  

Speaking in Brussels, the US Ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, said that the US Government wants to enforce a blanket ban on Chinese technology companies deploying 5G technology in nations allied to the US.   

Sondland said: “Those who are charging ahead blindly and embracing the Chinese technology without regard to these concerns may find themselves in a disadvantage in dealing with us.”

Read more: EU Nations Face Sanctions for Huawei Tech Deployment, US Ambassador Warns

Despite ongoing issues, Huawei’s chairman said this week that the firm wouldn’t capitulate due to mounting pressure.

Ren Zhengfei told the BBC there “is no way the US can crush” the tech firm and that it would continue moving forward with infrastructure problems regardless of financial or political ramifications.

“The world cannot leave us because we are more advanced,” he told the BBC. “Even if they persuade more countries not to use us temporarily, we can always scale things down a bit.”