U.S. Intelligence Committee Head Says Canada At Risk From Huawei And Chinese Cyber Spies

By: Kevin Green  |   October 9th, 2012   |   Business, News, O Canada

Following a security report released in the US, the head of the U.S. Intelligence Committee has asked Canadian firms to restrict their business activities with Chinese telecom manufacturer Huawei. On Monday, October 8, a report from the congressional committee called the large Chinese firm a threat to the security of the United States and the West as a whole. The report further asked companies in the U.S. to stop working with Huawei and opt to do business with other suppliers.

 

The U.S. Intelligence Committee was wary of the fact that Huawei could give American network access to cyber spies from China if they were used as vendors. The committee even went as far as to say that the company could possibly disrupt the power grid and banks if the US and China were to come into conflict.

 

What may be worrisome for Canadians is that the committee chairman, Mike Rogers, thinks that the U.S. is not the only country at risk. Rogers told CBC News the United States Northern neighbor is just as vulnerable.

 

To get a background of how deeply entrenched Huawei is in the world, one only has to look at the fact that it is the world’s second-largest telecommunications equipment supplier. In Canada the Chinese firm is behind high-speed networks that are owned by Bell Canada, Telus, SaskTel and Wind Mobile. However, these deals may not be the problem. The actual issue may be that Huawei will be creating a brand new telecom system for the Canadian government that is expected to be highly secure. Interestingly, the new multi-billion dollar project is expected to replace a previous network that was destroyed by a Chinese backed cyber attack in 2010. Rogers has stated that letting Huawei deal with that network could spell disaster for Canada.

 

The chair of U.S. Intelligence Committee did not mince his words in stating that, “This is your personal data. This could be your medical records, your financial records, everything that you hold dear that you think is locked away in a safe place on your computer.”

 

SOURCE: CBC News