Huawei 'failed to improve UK security standards'

An oversight board has claimed that Chinese company Huawei failed to adequately tackle security flaws in equipment used in the UK's telecoms networks despite previous complaints.

The report, which also flagged that a vulnerability ‘of national significance’ had occurred in 2019 but been fixed before it could be exploited, said that the National Cyber Security Centre had seen no evidence that Huawei had made a significant shift in its approach to the matter.

The assessment was given by an oversight board, chaired by a member of the cyber-spy agency GCHQ.

Although some improvements were noted, the board could only provide ‘limited assurance that all risks to UK national security’ could be mitigated in the long-term. It is believed that the report could influence other nations weighing up use of Huawei's kit.

The government announced in July that Huawei would eventually be excluded from the new 5G telecoms network by 2027, following US sanctions against the company. The US has repeatedly argued that using Huawei's equipment creates a risk of the Chinese state carrying out espionage or sabotage, although this is something the Huawei has always denied.

British security officials say they can manage the current risks posed by using Huawei's existing kit, and they do not believe the defects they have found are a result of Chinese state interference.

Huawei equipment has been used in the UK for a decade and a half. Although the company now has limited prospects in the UK moving forward, it is still hoping to sell its 5G kits to other parts of Europe.