Inside the Ring: Chinese company tried to hack NSA using U.S. defense contractor

Chinese telecommunications equipment giant Huawei Technologies sought to gain access to National Security Agency computer networks this year in a failed cyberespionage attack, U.S. officials said.

The company, which the U.S. government has linked to Chinas military, sought to penetrate NSA networks through a U.S. defense contractor, officials familiar with intelligence reports said of the attempted cyberattack.

The attempted network penetration was discussed in mid-August during a meeting of an interagency security group called G-FIRST, for Government Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams.

The identity of the defense contractor could not be learned.

A Department of Homeland Security official declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing defense contractor issues. He referred questions to the Pentagon. The Homeland Security Department coordinates the G-FIRST group.

NSA spokesman Mike Halbig said: We have nothing for you on this allegation.

While Huawei is challenged to respond to The Washington Times vague inquiry, the suggestion that a globally-proven and trusted $40 billion vender of commercial telecommunications gear would risk its very existence by attempting, in some unspecified fashion, to somehow access a government network through some unidentified third party, would seem nothing short of absurd, Huawei spokesman Bill Plummer told Inside the Ring in a statement.

The National Security Agency is the governments premier cyberwarfare and cyberintelligence-gathering agency, and analysts say it is one of the highest priority targets for Chinas aggressive cyberespionage efforts.

The Pentagons annual report to Congress on the Chinese military stated in 2010 that Huawei and two other Chinese telecommunications companies maintain close ties to the [Peoples Liberation Army] and collaborate on R&D.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence warned in a 2012 report that the U.S. government and private U.S. companies should not use Huawei equipment because of cyberespionage concerns.

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Inside the Ring: Chinese company tried to hack NSA using U.S. defense contractor