Cybersecurity Group Suspends Huawei: Wall Street Journal

The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams, or FIRST, has encouraged international cooperation in preventing hacking since the 1990s, reports the Wall Street Journal. “Members share information and intelligence to identify and isolate cyberattacks or vulnerabilities quickly, and disseminate information to protect against their rapid spread,” explains Anna Isaac. “While largely working under the radar, the group’s collective expertise on security has long been valued by governments and companies.” The global group has temporarily suspended Huawei after a US ban on technology exports targeting the company, based on legal advice. The measure excludes company representatives from discussions on threats and fixes and an information-sharing platform. The group advised members it is working on reinstating Huawei, Isaac reports, even as the United States continues to pressure allies to exclude Huawei in communications infrastructure, including 5G. FIRST has 492 member teams, including 10 others from China and Hong Kong, more than 200 from Europe, more than 90 from the United States and more than 30 from Japan. – YaleGlobal