The threat may be theoretical—but compromised telecom equipment could quickly cripple a nation's civilian and military infrastructure.
A Congressional report yesterday warned that Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE pose a "threat to U.S. national security interests" and could sell companies equipment rigged to give the Chinese government control over American communications networks.
The report (PDF), issued by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, cites no direct evidence that either Huawei or ZTE has acted to compromise the security of any of its clients. However, experts say the possibility is real that surveillance technology could be built into the routers and switches that underlie the Internet and wireless communications systems—and this could be difficult to detect.
"Could be built into?" What if it already IS built into those communications systems? To read more, click here.