The risk of cyberattacks is bound to increase in the 5G era, a new European Union (EU) report warns. The EU said it considers non-EU states and state-backed actors to be the biggest threats in this context. It also emphasized the importance of “the risk profile of individual suppliers,” which also includes “the likelihood of the supplier being subject to interference from a non-EU country.” However, the study refrained from mentioning specific entities, such as Chinese tech giant Huawei, which has been boycotted by the US over security concerns.
In response to the report, Huawei stated that it was “pleased to note that the EU delivered on its commitment to take an evidence-based approach, thoroughly analyzing risks rather than targeting specific countries or actors.”
While the US has been urging the EU to also ban Huawei in order to prevent the tech firm from providing the Chinese government with access to the data and systems of foreign governments, the campaign has not been highly successful. Consequently, Huawei equipment will likely be used to set up a significant portion of the world’s 5G networks in the coming years.
Read more: EU warns of 5G cybersecurity risks, stops short of singling out China