These security breaches could have allowed third-party access to personal computers and home networks, Bloomberg reports. Vodafone disputes the characterization and says it found ‘no evidence of any unauthorized access.’
UK telecom company Vodafone found hidden backdoors in Chinese chip manufacturer Huawei’s equipment years ago, but continued to use the company’s products, Bloomberg reports.
Vodafone found the vulnerabilities when buying equipment for its Italian business. The bugs could have given Huawei unauthorized access to the carrier’s fixed-line network in Italy and allowed third-party access to a customer’s personal computer and home network, according to internal Vodafone documents from 2009 to 2011 apparently seen by Bloomberg.
Of the 26 open bugs discussed in an October 2009 internal presentation, six were “critical” and nine were “major.” Vodafone said the issues were fixed, but vulnerabilities reportedly remained. Vodafone also stuck with Huawei because its equipment was “competitively priced,” according to sources who spoke with Bloomberg. Vodafone’s chief technology officer reportedly also had concerns about how dropping Huawei would affect the company’s 5G rollout.
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Those sources also claim the problems affected Vodafone businesses in the UK, Germany, Spain, and Portugal, though Vodafone tells Bloomberg it found no issues “beyond Italy.
