“The Chinese have remote access to all these devices. And remote access means they can completely control the device remotely from China, and they can shut it down,” Erika Langerová, the head of cybersecurity research at the Prague-based UCEEB energy institute with the Czech Technical University, said in a media briefing hosted by the U.S. Mission to the EU in September.
By introducing malicious firmware, a company could disable safety protections or cooling fans and other measures, Langerová said.
New sector, old tricks
Huawei was a regular fixture in Brussels’ lobbying circles for over a decade, throwing lavish parties, and was seen as a friendly entity in European policy circles. That changed in 2019, when Huawei came under the microscope over security and espionage concerns in its 5G mobile networks.
To counter the shifting attitudes, Huawei offered six-figure salaries to lure in journalists and politicians to lobby on its behalf, but failed to stop the Commission from taking a more cautious approach to using Huawei’s 5G equipment.
Huawei hit back against the move, saying there is no evidence its equipment poses a security threat.
As part of the fallout from the cash-for-influence allegations, the Commission announced in April that it would no longer meet with organizations lobbying on Huawei’s behalf, leading to the company’s expulsion from SolarPower Europe.