Lenovo Matters
Suspicions have persisted for several years about whether or not Chinese IT equipment is spying on its buyers. The industry is paying attention to whether or not Lenovo's recent move will reignite controversy.
It was recently found that Chinese computer giant Lenovo pre-installed virus-like software on laptops that make the devices more vulnerable to hacking. Therefore, many in the industry suspect that there may be a link between the revelation and suspicions over the use of Chinese IT equipment. In fact, overseas media outlets and governments in other countries have raised the possibility for several years.
According to industry sources on Feb. 23, the U.S. government made it mandatory in 2013 to get Chinese IT equipment approved by the FBI before being imported to the country. The U.S. government, which was at odds with the Chinese counterpart over Chinese cyber attacks at that time, raised suspicions that laptops made by Lenovo and communications equipment manufactured by Huawei may contain hacking tools, which prompted the measure.
The U.K. government also prohibited government officials from using PCs made by Lenovo in the same year, since British intelligence agencies were worried about the possibility that computer networks will be hacked. In security tests, Lenovo was found to have changed the electronic circuits of its products to make remote access to those products possible without even realizing it.
This incident is getting a lot of attention, in that cyber attacks tied to China are sophisticated. In particular, industry analysts believe that the leakage of important insider information and data is quite possible using pre-installed spy programs.
Government agencies in Germany advised restriction on the use of Windows 8 as well due to the fact that it is difficult to see what kinds of programs are installed in security modules in Windows 8, since Microsoft does not reveal the related information.
An industry source said, “Due to a conspiracy theory that the Chinese government is collecting data on U.S. mobile carriers using Huawei, the Chinese communications equipment supplier closed its network equipment business in the U.S.” The source added, “However, Korea seems to be unconcerned about this issue.”
Tablet PCs produced by Lenovo were actually selected for smart education in Sejong City recently. The Chinese firm is also widening the scope of its businesses in the nation, as shown by the fact that it is signing contracts with local major companies. Huawei has already indicated its intention to participate in Korea’s national disaster safety communications network project.