Huawei, Chinese telecom and Internet Company, on Sunday condemned the reports, which claim the US National Security Agency to have breached the company’s internal servers.
According to a New York Times report, which cited documents leaked by former U.S. security contractor Edward Snowden, the NSA had monitored Huawei’s extensive networks, the company’s email archive, and communications between top company officials and even communications of Huawei customers in other countries, including, Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Kenya and Pakistan.
Defending Huawei’s independence and security record, John Suffolk, Huawei’s global cyber security officer, told Reuters that “If the actions in the report are true, Huawei condemns such activities that invaded and infiltrated into our internal corporate network and monitored our communications”.
“Corporate networks are under constant probe and attack from different sources – such is the status quo in today’s digital age.”
The New York Times report revealed that original intent of the NSA’s Operation code-named “Shotgiant” was to uncover links between Huawei and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and to plant backdoors on Huawei equipment sold worldwide.
Meanwhile, the NSA said “We do not use foreign intelligence capabilities to steal the trade secrets of foreign companies on behalf of—or give intelligence we collect to—U.S. companies to enhance their international competitiveness or increase their bottom line.”
“It is important to note the overlay of law, regulation, policy, procedure, technical safeguards, training, culture, and ethos in the use of such tools; all of these things govern how NSA deploys various foreign intelligence techniques to help defend the nation,” the NSA added.
