Huawei enables remote access of source code in Brussels with new center

Chinese technology firm Huawei unveiled its Cyber Security Transparency Center in Brussels to public on Tuesday, allowing outsiders to access Huawei's source code remotely.

Journalists visit the new cybersecurity center of Chinese tech company Huawei, in Brussels, Tuesday March 5, 2019. Chinese tech giant Huawei is opening a cybersecurity lab in Brussels, as it tries to win over European Union leaders in a geopolitical battle with the U.S. over allegations its equipment poses a national security risk. [Photo: AP/Kelvin Chan]

The center "will showcase Huawei's end-to-end cyber security practices," and "facilitate communication between Huawei and key stakeholders on cyber security strategies and end-to-end cyber security and privacy protection practices," the company said in a statement.

Most crucially, the center is open to customers and independent third-party testing organizations, Huawei said, where "they are invited to perform fair, objective, and independent security tests and verifications according to industry-recognized cyber security standards and best practices."

Dozens of journalists from across Europe attended a guided tour of the center in the morning.

"These centers are equipped with dedicated testing environments, to provide customers and third parties with Huawei products, software, technical documents, testing tools, and necessary technical support," according to the statement.

That includes access to Huawei's source code, or in the words of John Suffolk, Huawei's global cybersecurity and privacy officer, "our crown jewels."

Huawei enables tests and verifications of similar sorts in other cyber security centers across the world, including in Britain, Germany, Canada's Toronto and its headquarter Shenzhen in China.

In a speech at the opening ceremony of the centre, Huawei's Deputy Chairman Ken Hu called for common cyber security standards.

"As a whole, the industry lacks a unified set of technical standards for security, as well as systems for verification. This is complicated by globalization of the value chain. Digital products include components from many different countries, with many different standards, or no standards at all," Hu said.

"There is an urgent need to invest in security standards and verification systems at the national level, as well as professional resources and skills," Hu said.

Hu applauded the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a European Union law on digital data that came into effect last year, saying it "sets clear standards, defines responsibilities for all parties, and applies equally to all companies operating in Europe."

"We believe that European regulators can also lead the way on similar mechanisms for cyber security," Hu said.

Huawei is in support of - and believes "all stakeholders should get behind" - a voluntary security assurance scheme called NESAS(The Network Equipment Security Assurance Scheme), Hu said.

NESAS is jointly defined by 3GPP, which results from collaboration between groups of telecoms standard associations, and GSMA, a body representing global mobile operators.