The European Union has warned against a scenario whereby hackers or hostile states assume control of everything from electricity grids to police communications and even home appliances, in a report assessing the security risks stemming from the rollout of 5G technology.
The review, first reported Tuesday by Bloomberg News and officially published Wednesday, paves the way for regulatory measures such as restricting an over-reliance on telecom equipment from a single supplier.
"Hostile third countries may exercise pressure on 5G suppliers in order to facilitate cyberattacks serving their national interests," the EU said in its 24-page report. Suppliers may be subjected to pressure because of their ownership, their home country's legislation and states, experts at the EU wrote.
The document, originally coded "amber" for a restricted circulation, points to non-democratic countries that could exert pressure and pose a risk of spying. It warned in its conclusions that the new technology will "increase the number of attacks paths that could be exploited by threat actors."
"5G is going to be the backbone, the digital plumbing, of our societies and economies," said Security Union Commissioner Julian King to reporters. "It's going to carry very sensitive information."
U.S. and European officials have raised concerns about partnering with Chinese equipment makers like Huawei after a 2017 Chinese law that mandates any organization and citizen to support and assist national intelligence in their investigations.
Information for this article was contributed by Natalia Drozdiak and Stefan Nicola of Bloomberg News.
Business on 10/10/2019