Increased demand for higher speed 4G networks brought on by increased use of cells & tablets may lead to a new security threat from China. The New York Times reported that the US House Intelligence Committee issued its report after a yearlong investigation which concluded:
…that the Chinese businesses, Huawei Technologies and ZTE Inc., were a national security threat because of their attempts to extract sensitive information from American companies and their loyalties to the Chinese government.
Huawei and ZTE “sell telecommunications equipment needed to create and operate wireless networks, like the ones used by Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Many of the major suppliers of the equipment are based outside the United States, creating concerns here about the security of communications.”
On October 7, 2012 Steve Kroft reported about a “60 Minutes” investigation concerning Huawei:
Their overriding concern is this: that the Chinese government could exploit Huawei’s presence on U.S. networks to intercept high level communications, gather intelligence, wage cyber war, and shut down or disrupt critical services in times of national emergency.
Clearly these reports should help the US government focus on establishing cybersecurity laws, and somehow get past the August 2012 Senate filibuster which blocked the creation of a cybersecurity bill.