Beijing’s backdoors into infrastructure and technology have a name…and a far-reaching purpose

Pointe Bello ^ | July 2020 | Patrick Jenevein

[BeauBo]

U.S. national security advisor Robert O’Brien recently sought to shut down debate about whether China tech giant Huawei installs “backdoors” in its gear. “We have evidence,” O’Brien announced on February 11, 2020, that wireless networks around the world have been compromised with access points that Beijing mandates.

Well known are the concerns this raises for sensitive public and private sector data. Less understood is just how comprehensive Beijing’s strategy is—and how extensive its reach.

WE SAY BACKDOORS, BEIJING SAYS RESERVED INTERFACES

The CPC is using internal government directives to mandate that Peoples Republic of China (PRC) manufacturers of information and communication hardware embed and reserve access for CPC agents at times of its choosing into a wide swath of sectors, including major infrastructure, industrial, and service systems. “Backdoors” is the common parlance in English. The CPC refers more explicitly to “embedded and reserved interfaces,” or close derivative terms, which likely include other vulnerabilities beyond backdoors that can be inserted and exploited by CPC actors.

These interfaces hard wire an information-technology dependent world for seamless access and abuse by PRC intelligence and security forces. Here’s what we know:

Since about 2015 and in conjunction with CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Military Civil Fusion (MCF) program to make PRC defense and intelligence an all-of-society enterprise, Beijing’s central and provincial commissions and military commands have issued directives mandating the structural tapping of devices and systems across economic sectors...

[BeauBo]

The article goes on to point out some reasons why this matters critically - not just pervasive spying, but also the ability to sabotage most everything as well.

"ECONOMIC, NATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATIONS FOR THE U.S. AND OTHERS

“Reserved interfaces” provide Beijing with global capabilities to command and control key economic and information flows. They also allow for penetration of U.S. and allied systems and institutions to collect intelligence, disrupt operations, steal economic advantage, and co-opt them for the PLA’s operational purposes whenever requested. A raft of PRC laws and strategies—like MCF, which also includes relevant economic mobilization for defense plans, and Made in China 2025–require it.

These actions and laws in turn facilitate Beijing’s economic development and geostrategic strategies. For example, the “Innovation Driven Development Strategy,” a keystone PRC plan to boost China’s status as a technological superpower, benefits from industrial-scale acquisition of foreign technology and know-how, by any and all means.

Embedded and reserved interfaces threaten the United States and the global economy much more than simply providing the CPC additional espionage and data accumulation opportunities. Intent is also a significant factor. Recall in 2019 when electric vehicle pioneer Tesla, a commercially resourced company, remotely added battery capability to cars in Hurricane Dorian’s path. But imagine what a state-resourced actor with malevolent intent could accomplish. With backdoors, for example, the CPC now has the capability to attenuate systems that connect to a wide range of remote controllers.

Through embedded interfaces a remote actor could stop a ship bridge from raising as ocean traffic approaches and cause a collision that catastrophically interrupts ocean to river or port traffic.

Remote controllers could cause engines in power plants to overspeed, overheat, and damage their capability to generate electricity for hospitals, factories, storage facilities, server farms, offices, and neighborhoods. Potentially fatal catastrophes attach to systems that manage access to traffic lights, tunnels and bridges, airports, and dams."

[ClearCase_guy]

I am, a reserved interface man
I am, a reserved interface door man
Well the, men don’t know, but the Chinese spies understand
— apologies to Howlin’ Wolf

[gibsonguy]

The brits were crazy to let China implement 5G in GB. The ChiComs infecting the world with the virus put that on hold. Let’s hope England tosses it permanently.

[GOPJ]

Through embedded interfaces a remote actor could stop a ship bridge from raising as ocean traffic approaches and cause a collision that catastrophically interrupts ocean to river or port traffic. Remote controllers could cause engines in power plants to overspeed, overheat, and damage their capability to generate electricity for hospitals, factories, storage facilities, server farms, offices, and neighborhoods. Potentially fatal catastrophes attach to systems that manage access to traffic lights, tunnels and bridges, airports, and dams."

In short everything that touches the internet could be destroyed... ships could hit each other, missiles redirected, nuclear power plants melted down. Our Pentagon should have dealt with this years ago... protected us. Protected us rather than being a 'culture change' experiment for white liberal 'elites'... and a cushy job for blowhard 'experts' for dinner party DC hostesses. Shame on our military. They've let the country down.

[Pearls Before Swine]

So, we are saying that we want the backdoors in our electronic equipment to be OUR backdoors, not theirs. Makes sense to me.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

gibsonguy :" The brits were crazy to let China implement 5G in GB. "

My understanding is that there was a major price discount by using Chinese electronics.
You'd be surprised how cheap electronic components can be, when made in slave concentration camps.
"If you wanna eat,.. you have to work " , in those camps.

[gibsonguy]

Yes the British were being seduced by the price. Ostensibly they were going to get 5G cheaper and sooner by having the ChiComs Involved in implementation. Foolish and short sighted doesn’t begin to describe it.

[mowowie]

Since China’s telecom networks are loaded with Huawei equipment can we use those same embedded backdoors against them?

[centermass_socrates]

Huawei Could Be Locked out of UK’s 5G Network by Christmas: Reports

Boris Johnson to reduce Huawei’s role in Britain’s 5G network in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak

---

Let’s hope they are acting quickly enough. It seems like we aren’t. Iran’s early centrifuges were destroyed by “backdoor” code.

I can’t help but think about the home warranty commercials that has a guy sitting at a table dodging ice cubes that his malfunctioning freezer is spitting at him ;)

[Truthoverpower]

The good Lord works in strange and mysterious ways

Not only has he exposed the underhanded and nasty totali nature of the Chinese communist party CCP through this virus that they’ve unleashed on the world

which of course they are 100% responsible for every single death

But he is also unleashed probably the worst flooding they’ve seen in 100 years with no end in sight ; because we’re just at the beginning of their typical rainy season

Fortunately these totalitarian regimes like China and Iran can only do so much to prevent footage from leaving their country

At some point the scum bag communists are going to piss off that billion
Plus 200 million people enough that they’re going to rise up and overthrow them

Militarily they know they are a paper tiger - compared to the United States of America - and will not challenge us in anyway whatsoever

[veracious]

A lost land, where cost decides everything. Buying high tech from your enemies; what kind of nation is so lost as to allow this? Or buying most critical supplies from enemy nations? Medicine, rare-earth metals...

Pure devolution unto destruction.

[BeauBo]

“can we use those same embedded backdoors against them?”

We should have permanent organizations dedicated to developing just those tools.

[RicocheT]

All your routers are belong to us! CCP

[gibsonguy]

As we get further and further down the road of “the internet of things”, which is to say more and more inet connected devices such as refrigerators etc this becomes more of an issue. Personally I am avoiding the electronic “helper” devices such as Amazon’s Alexa.