GCHQ chief warns terrorists could hack super-fast 5G mobile services
Britain's top spy Jeremy Fleming says it is among a host of new technologies which will also make the UK 'more vulnerable' to foeign agents and hostile states
THE advanced Chinese technology which will power the next generation of super-fast mobile broadband may expose Britain to spies and international crooks, it's been reported.
The head of GCHQ says 5G is among a host of new technologies which will make the UK "more vulnerable" to terrorists and hostile states.
, Jeremy Fleming claimed: “Critical technologies, for example in 5G, are increasingly likely to come from China...
“Just as our adversaries are not constrained by international boundaries, we must make sure that our legislative and technology arrangements are able to keep pace.”
5G services are expected to be launched in Britain next year and could eventually run everything from driverless cars to vast computer networks.
Fleming’s comments are the latest example of growing concerns in security circles over China’s amazing technological advances.
Just last month, a probe into into the Chinese company Huawei overseen by GCHQ concluded the UK has “only limited assurance” the tech giant poses no threat to national security.
Huawei, the world’s largest provider of telecoms equipment, is set to lead the global charge into 5G and has signed a deal to provide the next generation of mobile broadband tech to BT.
Fleming has called for security fears to be at the heart of the development of pioneering technologies such as 5G.
“In the past we have often seen security bolted on to technology as new risks emerge. For an environment where the cycle of development to deployment is accelerating and where our dependence on overseas technologies is increasing, this approach no longer works,” Fleming said.
“New systems - and their supply chains - need security built into the earliest stages of design if we are to protect liberties, ensure public confidence and counter threats to internet freedom.”