The following is the first part of a five part series about Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant. I wrote this paper while I was working on my Master’s Degree at Penn State and believe that is relevant today given the simmering tensions with China. In my opinion, this paper is a tangible example of the Non-Kinetic War that China is waging against us that we previously discussed here.

Abstract

The fifth generation of wireless technology has the potential of faster speeds, reduced delays and an increase in connectivity. But such promise does not come without risk, for each 5G equipped device has the potential to be used to invade privacy and provide an opening for our adversaries. Rigorous formal analysis of equipment and processes must be completed to ensure adequate security measures are in place and this analysis must consider the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. Huawei is on the leading edge of 5G technology and is vying to be a major player in its implementation. U.S. prosecutors have demonstrated that Huawei has a history of stealing trade secrets, covering up their transgressions and are currently under indictment for multiple charges of money laundering, bank fraud and conspiracy. In addition, they have reportedly circumvented sanctions imposed on North Korea and Iran, providing the countries with telecom equipment that can be used for extensive spying on populations. Regardless of intent, Chinese law would compel Huawei to hand over any and all network data if the Chinese Government asked for it. U.S. national security officials must be prepared for a future in which the Chinese firm Huawei will have a major share of the advanced global telecommunications market, and plan to thwart potential espionage and disruptive cyberattacks enabled by interconnected networks. Huawei and its participation in the next generation 5G network poses a national security threat that has the potential to destabilize traditional alliances and information sharing that is critical to national security.

Keywords:  Huawei, 5G Network, China, National Security, Threat, International Relations

To Serve China: Huawei and Potential Threat to the 5G Network

“5G mobile networks — the next-generation standard for wireless communications — are set to start taking over the mobile network environment in 2019.” (Sdx Central, 2019) Who designs builds and manages these networks could have far reaching effects not only on mobile networking but on Homeland Security. With vast amounts of money potentially at stake, 5G has brought out an alliance of global powers that “include operators like Verizon, T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom and AT&T; vendors such as Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Samsung and ZTE, which build the tech that would deploy 5G. (Slefo, 2017) Included in these companies is the Chinese owned Huawei which has been “accused of being a gateway for China to spy on Western nations.” (Vaswani, 2019) In addition, “U.S. officials, have pushed the argument that Chinese laws compel firms such as Huawei to cooperate with intelligence agencies, without the judicial and legal safeguards that exist in the United States.” (Nakashisama and Mekhennet, 2019) Huawei has denied that any of their equipment has been used by the Chinese Government to gain access to any of their customers. (Vaswani, 2019) However, “U.S. national security officials are planning for a future in which the Chinese firm Huawei will have a major share of the advanced global telecommunications market, and have begun to think about how to thwart potential espionage and disruptive cyberattacks enabled by interconnected networks.” (Nakashisama and Mekhennet, 2019) Huawei and its participation in the next generation 5G network poses a national security threat that has the potential to destabilize traditional alliances and information sharing that is critical to national security.

What is the 5G Network?

 “5G stands for fifth-generation cellular wireless, and the initial standards for it were set at the end of 2017.” (Segan, 2019) 5G networks promise to deliver “vastly increased capacity, lower latency, and faster speeds.” (Sdx Central, 2019) In April of 2019 Verizon began selling the world’s first 5G phone and AT&T has been running trials of hotspot capabilities in 19 cities getting ready for more commercial availability this year. (Segan, 2019) According to Sacha Segan with PCMag.com, “5G is an investment for the next decade.” (2019) Essentially, 5G promises to provide the extra bandwidth needed to create the ‘Internet of Things’ – “a network that links not just phones and computers but also robots, cars, and all manner of sensor-equipped consumer products and infrastructure.” (Campanaro, 2018) Faster and more reliable networks have been achieved in each subsequent generation of wireless technology. Amanda Campanaro with NBC News summarizes the benefits of 5G as follows:

• “Faster speed: Data transfer speeds are projected to be about 10 times higher with 5G than is possible with 4G. That means significantly faster transmission of images and videos. With 4G/LTE, downloading a high-definition movie might take about 10 minutes. With 5G, it should take less than a second.
• Shorter delays: Though it’s not always noticeable, there is often a brief lag in time from when data is sent to when it’s received. 5G should reduce this so-called latency, making it possible, for example, to watch high-speed virtual reality video with no delays or glitches.
• Increased connectivity: Cell towers equipped with 5G technology would have greatly increased capacity over 4G/LTE. That means more people — and more devices — should be able to communicate at the same time.” (2018)

Risks of 5G

According to a study by a team of international researchers, “the next generation of mobile communication needs a security boost if it is to offer customers a safe and reliable service.” (Younger, 2018) Dr Saša Radomirovic, Senior Lecturer of Computing in the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Dundee, stated, “People will use 5G like they use 4G now, to make calls, send texts, swap pictures, or make payments and purchases. But 5G will likely also be present in autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things devices, and industrial control systems, for example. It has been promised to be faster and more secure than previous networks but we’ve found that it isn’t as secure as hoped. In its current state, 5G does not close all the security gaps…we remain concerned about the less than perfect privacy protections it provides leaving users vulnerable to targeted attacks…without a rigorous formal analysis of its specifications may lead to serious consequences.” (Younger, 2018) “For each 5G equipped thing, there will be the possibility that an attacker or manufacturer abuses it to invade your privacy.” (Baig, 2019) Dan Garraway, a co-founder of an interactive video technology company Wirewax, indicates that 5G technology enables the watchers to watch you back. (Baig, 2019) “Columbia University computer science professor Steven Bellovin… worries that mobile carriers will be able to detect your whereabouts more precisely because the shorter range of the initial wireless 5G signals.” (Baig, 2019) Recently, “the European Union recommended a series of steps in which member nations assess their own 5G risks by the end of June and collectively work thereafter to ensure a high level of cybersecurity… [in addition] citing espionage fears, U.S. lawmakers have expressed major concerns about Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and its ambitious plans to lead globally on 5G.” (Baig, 2019)

Tomorrow we will cover a brief history of Huawei, their founder and ownership.