“The Pentagon was so concerned about the “unacceptable risk” posed by the Chinese tech giant ZTE in April that it banned sales of its cellphones on military bases. The same month, British officials cautioned that using ZTE equipment was so problematic that national security concerns ‘cannot be mitigated.’ … Yet the Trump administration’s willingness to reverse a Commerce Department ban forbidding American companies from selling to ZTE doesn’t protect U.S. customers from surveillance, hacking or digital espionage, say experts and lawmakers.” More …
Security
‘Too inconvenient’: Trump goes rogue on phone security
“President Donald Trump uses a White House cellphone that isn’t equipped with sophisticated security features designed to shield his communications, according to two senior administration officials — a departure from the practice of his predecessors that potentially exposes him to hacking or surveillance… The president, who relies on cellphones to reach his friends and millions of Twitter followers, has rebuffed staff efforts to strengthen security around his phone use, according to the administration officials.” More …
Rude, red awakening: China’s theft of U.S. tech is hard to stop
“Washington is waking up to the reality that the cost of doing business in China’s massive market is risking precious tech secrets, but it may be too late… Rogue practices like intellectual property theft are built into Beijing’s industrial policy, and China has used these policies to innovate so rapidly that it may soon be able to cut its reliance on the West.” More …
Chinese exports take over the world
“Two decades ago, China’s gross exports were on par with the Netherlands, and only North Korea relied on the world’s most populous country as its primary source of imports. Now, China exports far more than any country on earth, and is the top supplier of countries in every corner of the world.” More …
China’s grand infrastructure plan has spooked its rivals
“For centuries, rising great powers have sought to thrive and exert influence by establishing a new global framework for trade. Now, Beijing wants to control the greatest businesses, and is building the biggest infrastructure project since at least the Marshall Plan — the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).” More …
China is the greatest, growing threat to America
“China has outlined strategies for 2018, 2025 and 2050 all designed to displace the United States as the dominant global economic and national security superpower… While America dawdles and bickers, China is thinking long-term — and acting now, everywhere. There is no U.S. equivalent of a plan for 2025 or 2050 — or really for next year. ” More …
Two Leading Bidders for Lucrative Los Alamos Lab Contract Have Checkered Safety Records
“Defense contractor Bechtel and the University of California are in the running even though they have run the lab as partners for the last decade and amassed a record of worker health and safety violations.” More ….
HP Enterprise Let Russia Scrutinize Cyberdefense System Used by Pentagon
“Hewlett Packard Enterprise allowed a Russian defense agency to review the inner workings of cyber defense software used by the Pentagon to guard its computer networks, according to Russian regulatory records and interviews with people with direct knowledge of the issue.” More …
NSA Warned Trump White House Against Using Personal Email
“In briefings to incoming Trump aides, security officials highlighted the dangers of unsecured email and phones.” More …
Kushner Used Private Email to Conduct White House Business
“The senior adviser set up the account after the election. Other West Wing officials have also used private email accounts for official business.” More …