China warns of security risks from bad actor ‘back doors' in imported chips, smart devices
anti-spying agency has urged citizens to beware of data leakage through deliberately designed or maliciously embedded 'technical back doors' in chips and smart gadgets produced overseas, warning of
risks to national security
The Ministry of State Security said on its official social media page on Monday that imported chips, software and smart devices for critical sectors might feature embedded 'exploits' or access points at the initial design stage. These would allow malicious actors to bypass security controls and gain unauthorised access to systems, potentially causing severe data breaches, it cautioned.
'The security of hi-tech devices and information systems directly concerns national security. Citizens must remain vigilant,' the ministry said.
03:25
New CIA videos seek to lure Chinese officials to leak secrets to US
New CIA videos seek to lure Chinese officials to leak secrets to US
A technical back door is a software tool that allows developers to debug and patch vulnerabilities efficiently. However, it may also pose significant risks, including data theft and information leakage.
Malicious actors could exploit these covert access points to remotely activate cameras or microphones, or command background processes to collect and 'exfiltrate' or steal specific data, the ministry said.
Manufacturers could also illegally invade devices through after-sales services, software update channels, by compromising open-source code repositories or tampering with code during supply chain operations, it added.
Beijing places a strong emphasis on
national security in the intelligence and cyber domains, and the ministry's warning underscores
heightened vigilance over risks from foreign technology supply chains amid geopolitical tensions with the United States and state surveillance fears.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China's Fujian aircraft carrier may have conducted first catapult take-off drill
China's third and most advanced aircraft carrier may have successfully conducted a fighter jet catapult take-off drill, according to the latest footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV. The feat marks a key milestone for the Fujian – China's first aircraft carrier equipped with an electromagnetic catapult – before its expected entry into service this year. The 6½ minute segment showing the apparently successful take-off was aired as part of Forging Ahead, a five-episode series launched on August 1 to mark the 98th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). State media earlier reported that the Fujian could enter active service before the end of this year. The USS Gerald R. Ford is currently the only active carrier equipped with an advanced catapult launch system. The segment featuring the Fujian take-off drills was published on the CCTV website on Sunday. It showed a control room operator announcing: 'Parameters checked, position two cleared for take-off.'
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How China's new ‘Darwin Monkey' could shake up future of AI in world first
Chinese engineers have unveiled the world's first brain-like computer made up of more than 2 billion artificial neurons. The neuron count of the 'Darwin Monkey' approaches that of a macaque and could be used to advance human brain-inspired artificial intelligence (AI), according to its developers at Zhejiang University. The Darwin Monkey is the latest generation of brain-inspired computers produced by Zhejiang University researchers. 'This is the world's first brain-like computer based on a dedicated neuromorphic chip with more than 2 billion neurons,' the university said on its social media account on Saturday. The computing system, made up of 960 Darwin 3 brain-inspired computing chips creating over 100 billion synapses, is 'a step closer to achieving more advanced brain-like intelligence', it said in the post. The Darwin Monkey has been successfully deployed to complete tasks like content generation, logical reasoning and mathematics, using the groundbreaking Chinese AI company DeepSeek's brain-like large model.
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Chinese scientists say they can create a ‘storm eye' for PLA forces in electronic warfare
Chinese scientists have developed an advanced electronic warfare technique that can create a zone of electromagnetic calm, similar to the eye of a storm at the heart of an intense signal jamming environment. Advertisement This groundbreaking innovation could allow Chinese military forces to disable enemy communications and navigation systems while protecting their own troops and allied networks from collateral disruption. The technology , still at an early stage with feasibility verified in computer simulations, relies on coordinated unstaffed aerial platforms that emit precisely-tuned radio frequency (RF) interference. By adjusting the waveform, amplitude, phase and relative timing of their signals, these drones can generate a targeted null at friendly positions where jamming signals are cancelled out. 'Under the simulation condition of a 20 dB interference-to-signal ratio, electromagnetic interference at the target legitimate user can be reduced to zero,' wrote the team led by Yang Jian, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology, in a peer-reviewed paper published in Chinese journal Acta Electronica Sinica on July 24. Advertisement This dual capability – jamming adversaries while safeguarding allies – marks a significant evolution from traditional electronic warfare, which often relies on brute force. This usually comes in the form of omnidirectional jamming that disrupts everything within range, friend or foe, according to Yang and his collaborators from the National Key Laboratory of Wireless Communications in Chengdu, Sichuan.
