In what is the first known instance of Huawei being used by the Chinese government as a conduit for intelligence gathering, the national security source said an unnamed “high-risk vendor” - confirmed by The Weekend Australian to be Huawei - had featured in intelligence reporting.
“I am aware of intelligence that indicates that certain high-risk vendors have been asked for assistance by foreign intelligence services,” the source said.
The Weekend Australian has confirmed that the attempted breach related to a foreign network, not an Australian one.
While some governments, including Australia’s, have locked Huawei out of sensitive projects or acquisitions, the risk has until now been regarded as theoretical.
Huawei was one of two companies banned from participation in the construction of Australia’s 5G network, which is expected to be up and running by next year. The other was Chinese firm ZTE.
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