US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks • Hacker News Board

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#111

Post by dwild » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:19 PM UTC

dustfinger wrote: post #100

Note: The following might be considered off-topic. On the otherhand, there might be something nefarious in the SMS network. I found something strange that affects SMS in Canada. You can send the lower case text "secure communication", but it will never be recieved by the recipient. I am not sure if this behavior is reproducible outside of Canada. It might be a software defect, or perhaps there is something capturing…

I just tried that in Quebec from Virgin Mobile (Bell) to Vidéotron using a Samsung S10 and a Samsung A8, it's working fine for me.

I can't verify it is send over SMS or MMS though. In theory there's no reason for my cellphone to send it over MMS.

The exact word used: secure communication

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#112

Post by zabana » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:23 PM UTC

agoodthrowaway wrote: post #109

sam_lowry_ wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Judging by the number of wars it started in the last century... it's definitely the American.

I don’t really understand comments like this. US has lots of problems but we do have the semblance of rule of law. We do have the notion of transparency and you do not get sent to a labor camp if you have political views antithetical to the state. The Chinese can and do simply disappear people without the semblance of due process. Their history also is one of ethnic cleansing as the Han people have pushed out or marg…

> the chinese can and do simply disappear people without the semblance of due process

Hum you could use a chat with one or more guantanamo bay inmates

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#113

Post by zabana » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:25 PM UTC

BrendanD wrote: post #103

syshum wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as a US Resident, China has no authority to murder me or put me in a cage like the US Government does. So if I had to choose I would prefer china over the NSA, Of course neither is the best option but ..... if I lived in China the inverse would be true

In western countries you can, in general, publicly mock your leaders on the front steps of your legislature. Try dancing in a Winnie-the-Pooh costume in front of the Great Hall of the People and see what happens...

Because in China is the power is indeed in the hands of the government. Not sure this is the case in the west anymore I'm afraid

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#114

Post by zzddffgg » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:27 PM UTC

zabana wrote: post #112

agoodthrowaway wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t really understand comments like this. US has lots of problems but we do have the semblance of rule of law. We do have the notion of transparency and you do not get sent to a labor camp if you have political views antithetical to the state. The Chinese can and do simply disappear people without the semblance of due process. Their history also is one of ethnic cleansing as the Han people have pushed out or marg…

> the chinese can and do simply disappear people without the semblance of due process Hum you could use a chat with one or more guantanamo bay inmates

The scales here are extremely different. Millions of uighurs are being detained en masse for their race and religion. Guantanamo has 40 inmates who are related to national security. It's a false equivalence and disrespectful to uighurs to compare them to terrorists.

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#115

Post by 80386 » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:29 PM UTC

throwaway17_17 wrote: post #77

r6754dw wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely the Chinese, simply because their foreign policy is much less violent than that of the US, and they don't try to forcefully export their political and economic system to other countries.

Because the fact that China has not engaged in non-local applications of violence, they must be better than the US? That seems to be an amazingly narrow standard, because by that measure any country which carries out atrocities on its own population is 'better' than the US. I understand, even if I may not agree, some individual's dislike of American foreign policy, but to equate America's actions in the last 20 years…

> Because the fact that China has not engaged in non-local applications of violence

Yet.

The PRC has been internationally relevant for a few decades. The US has been internationally relevant practically since its founding.

And for whatever reason, people don't think the PRC has continuity with pre-Mao China -- which has been internationally relevant since long before the US existed, and which doesn't have a very nice track record.

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#116

Post by dependenttypes » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:30 PM UTC

ancorevard wrote: post #47

gruez wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The US is essentially complaining that Huawei has access to the backdoor channels that only the US government was supposed to have. How is surprising? The defining characteristic of a nation state is that it has a monopoly on violence within its borders. Having a monopoly on intercepting telecom traffic is a logical consequence of that. For other countries though, yeah I'd prefer if neither China nor US have backdoo…

"I'd prefer if neither China nor US have backdoor access." So would I, but having lived in both countries, one of the two governments is decidedly more evil than the other.

What is more dangerous for an American (or even European) citizen? The US or China spying at them? Even if China is more evil in its domestic affairs a western civilian has much more to fear from the US.

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#117

Post by dustfinger » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:31 PM UTC

dwild wrote: post #111

dustfinger wrote: post #100

Note: The following might be considered off-topic. On the otherhand, there might be something nefarious in the SMS network. I found something strange that affects SMS in Canada. You can send the lower case text "secure communication", but it will never be recieved by the recipient. I am not sure if this behavior is reproducible outside of Canada. It might be a software defect, or perhaps there is something capturing…

I just tried that in Quebec from Virgin Mobile (Bell) to Vidéotron using a Samsung S10 and a Samsung A8, it's working fine for me. I can't verify it is send over SMS or MMS though. In theory there's no reason for my cellphone to send it over MMS. The exact word used: secure communication

Turn off your data and disconnect from wifi, then try again. I believe that will force it to send via SMS. You might need to go through your client's app settings.

The Google Android client is nice because it displays what protocol it is sending over. It is important to confirm that it is sent over SMS. Also, it is important that the words "secure communication" are sent in all lower case which I see that you did.

Thank you for taking the time to test this. If you are sure it is being sent over SMS then I will add your entry as an example where it can be both sent and received

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#118

Post by dependenttypes » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:32 PM UTC

agoodthrowaway wrote: post #109

sam_lowry_ wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Judging by the number of wars it started in the last century... it's definitely the American.

I don’t really understand comments like this. US has lots of problems but we do have the semblance of rule of law. We do have the notion of transparency and you do not get sent to a labor camp if you have political views antithetical to the state. The Chinese can and do simply disappear people without the semblance of due process. Their history also is one of ethnic cleansing as the Han people have pushed out or marg…

The US is better in terms of handling its own citizens compared to China but they are much worse in terms of international affairs. Consider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_involvement_in_r... or the bombing of civilians in middle east with killer drones.

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#119

Post by dependenttypes » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:36 PM UTC

blattimwind wrote: post #96

SAI_Peregrinus wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"US says it can prove Huawei has lawful intercept access to mobile-phone networks" would be a better headline.

Because Huawei is a global law-enforcement agency and hence can claim lawful interception on all equipment it sells? Doesn't make any sense.

Is NSA a global law-enforcement agency? https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/05/photos-of-an-nsa...

Re: US says it can prove Huawei has backdoor access to mobile-phone networks

#120

Post by panzagl » Wed, Feb 12, 2020, 7:36 PM UTC

sam_lowry_ wrote: post #89

ancorevard wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I'd prefer if neither China nor US have backdoor access." So would I, but having lived in both countries, one of the two governments is decidedly more evil than the other.

Judging by the number of wars it started in the last century... it's definitely the American.

Hmm, I get 1 or 2 for the US depending on whether 'last century' means the 20th Century or the last 100 years. Current Chinese government has started more than that against just against other Chinese.