Huawei router vulnerabilities exposed

The security of routers made by Chinese firm Huawei Technologies has been called into question by two network security experts at the Defcon hacking convention, Tech Week Europe reports.

They said the Huawei routers have very few modern security protections and contain easy-to-find vulnerabilities.

The two researchers, Felix “FX” Lindner and Gregor Kopf, both of Recurity Labs, analysed two small-office routers made by Huawei and found a number of vulnerabilities.

According to PC Advisor, Huawei Technologies said last week that it was verifying claims that its routers contained critical vulnerabilities, after security researchers disclosed alleged problems last weekend.

“We are aware of the media reports on security vulnerabilities in some small Huawei routers and are verifying these claims,” Huawei said in an e-mail. The company added it uses “rigorous security strategies and policies” to protect the networks of its customers, while following industry standards and best practices concerning security.

Over the past few years, Huawei has emerged as a major competitor to Cisco, writes CRN.

This news is likely to take some of the wind out of the sales of the Chinese networking vendor, according to several solution providers who focus on networking and security.