Microsoft: Russia, China, and Iran have ‘stepped up’ cyberattacks

A new report from Microsoft shines a spotlight on powerful cyberattack campaigns which are currently targeting the US election.

The upcoming US presidential election was expected to be a prime candidate for interference. However, Microsoft notes that foreign activity groups have "stepped up their efforts” for this election.

Microsoft has discovered three key campaigns operating from three countries often linked with cyberattacks:

Strontium (Russian) –...

11 September 2020 | Legislation & Government

Chinese telecoms equipment removal will cost the US around $1.8bn

US telecoms regulator the FCC has estimated the removal of Chinese equipment will result in a fairly substantial bill.

On Friday, the FCC released a report (PDF) which highlighted that operators in the US have already applied for around $1.6 billion in reimbursement funds as part of the Secure and Trusted Communications Network Act of 2019.

However, Congress is yet to approve the much-needed funds to support the predominantly small operators.

Ajit Pai, Chairman...

9 September 2020 | Legislation & Government

FCC tells China Telecom it will share confidential docs with other agencies

The FCC has notified China Telecom that it will share documents the operator issued in confidentiality.

State-owned China Telecom has been authorised to operate in the US since 2001, but has found itself subject to increased scrutiny in recent months.

The US Justice Department and other federal agencies have recommended that the FCC revokes China Telecom's license due to concerns including "inaccurate public representations by China Telecom concerning its cybersecurity...

20 August 2020 | China Telecom

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou wants documents unredacted to prove she was ‘tricked’

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou is calling for classified documents to be unredacted to prove there was a plot between Canadian authorities and the FBI to “trick” her.

The classified documents have already been released in a heavily redacted format. During a videoconference, Meng’s lawyers demanded the publication of the complete versions which had been redacted before and after her arrest.

However, in a sworn statement delivered in July, a Canadian foreign ministry...

17 August 2020 | Legislation & Government

India is the latest country preparing to ban Huawei from its 5G

India is set to become the latest country to ban Chinese telecoms vendors Huawei and ZTE from its 5G networks.

New rules will prevent any bids from countries which India shares a land border with under amended investment rules that cite concerns over national security.

Earlier this year, a brutal clash between Chinese and Indian troops at a decades-old disputed Himalayan border left a trail of fatalities – many soldiers were beaten to death with barbed wire clubs, or...

14 August 2020 | Legislation & Government

Experts say the Huawei ban will not put the UK ‘into the digital slow lane’

A poll of experts suggests the Huawei ban will not put the UK "into the digital slow lane," as the company has warned.

The polling was conducted by The Chartered Institute for IT and gathered the opinions of 3,000 professionals.

More than half of the experts surveyed said they do not believe Huawei’s claims that its ban will harm the country's digital prospects and push up bills. Around 20 percent weren't sure.

In contrast, the majority of those surveyed...

7 August 2020 | Legislation & Government

French Finance Minister: ‘We won’t ban Huawei from investing in 5G’

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said the country will not ban Huawei from investing in 5G, in stark contrast to the UK.

Speaking to France Info radio, Le Maire said that sensitive locations would be protected by there would not be a “blanket ban” on Huawei.

The position is similar to the UK’s initial approach when the country permitted Huawei to have a role in national 5G networks back in January. At the time, the UK also attached conditions that Huawei...

21 July 2020 | Legislation & Government

Huawei has been officially banned from the UK’s 5G networks

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has informed MPs of the government’s decision to ban Huawei from the UK’s 5G networks.

The Chinese vendor’s equipment must be removed from Britain’s networks by 2027 but operators are banned from purchasing Huawei’s equipment from 31st December.

"This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the UK telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run," Dowden...

14 July 2020 | Legislation & Government

The UK wants the ‘Five Eyes’ to fund and procure Huawei alternatives

The UK is turning to its “Five Eyes” partners and beyond to find a replacement to Huawei’s equipment amid increasing security concerns.

Huawei has been cautiously welcomed in the UK’s telecoms networks for decades as relations between London and Beijing have enjoyed a relatively harmonious period. However, with 5G being used for ever more critical applications, Western countries are concerned about the influence foreign powers may have within their...

13 July 2020 | Legislation & Government

China begins imposing its ‘Great Firewall’ on the citizens of Hong Kong

China’s strict internet censorship is coming to Hong Kong following the passing of a controversial security law.

The so-called Great Firewall of China restricts what internet services and websites citizens can legally access. Google, for example, cannot be easily accessed in China as Beijing cannot control what information citizens can consume in the same way as national alternatives like Baidu.

Hong Kong is supposed to operate under a “one country, two systems”...

9 July 2020 | Legislation & Government