

The profiles aren’t visible to the end user and they’re usually not modifiable. Mobile broadband modems typically come with a pre-installed profile that defines how it will connect, which DNS servers it will use and a few other parameters. One method Lindh found was a DNS poisoning attack.

“And these attacks have great potential for paying off.” This is the path of least resistance,” Lindh said during a talk at the Black Hat USA conference here Wednesday. Security researcher Andreas Lindh identified several different attacks that work against models from both Huawei and ZTE, none of which is too difficult to pull off, he said. The modems themselves typically run embedded Linux, and because they’re meant to be single-user devices, they usually don’t require any authentication to use. And many of them are sold directly to carriers, who resell them to end users. Much of the market for these devices is dominated by two manufacturers, Huawei and ZTE. But many of the models sold by the major manufacturers contain bugs and functionality that a remote attacker can exploit without much difficulty.

The decision was first expected in 2019, but the move had been repeatedly delayed amid a diplomatic row between Canada and China over the detention of a senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant.Ĭhina subsequently jailed two Canadians after the arrest. All three were released in September.LAS VEGAS–Mobile broadband modems can be a great alternative if you can’t find a WiFi network or don’t trust the ones you can find. Washington has lobbied allies to exclude Huawei from 5G mobile networks over concerns that Beijing could pressure the company into cyberespionage. Huawei, seen as a symbol of China's progress in becoming a technological world power, is a subject of US security and law enforcement concerns. "There are many hostile actors who are ready to exploit vulnerabilities in our defenses," he said.Ĭanada's allies in the Five Eyes intelligence-pooling group - the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand - had already banned Huawei. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the innovation "represents a major opportunity for competition and growth" but "also comes risks." "Providers who already have this equipment installed will be required to cease its use and remove it," he said. The decision was widely expected, though it had been delayed amid diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Ottawa.Ĭanadian Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said wireless carriers "will not be permitted to include in their networks products or services that put our national security at risk."

Chinese telecommunications giants Huawei and ZTE will be banned from Canada's high-speed 5G networks, Canadian government officials said on Thursday.
