ZTE's US smartphone has backdoor access - report

It has just been a few months that the whole Carrier IQ episode has died down in the United States and now we are hearing that ZTE's Android smartphones in the country contain a security vulnerability, which could allow others to control the device.

This security hole is reportedly present in ZTE Score smartphone and is being dubbed as 'highly unusual' by a researcher, stated a report in Reuters.

The researcher further claimed that this vulnerability is usually called a backdoor and allows anyone with the hardwired password to access the affected device. He alleged that backdoor present on the device was deliberate as it was being used to update the smartphone.

ZTE and its fellow Chinese company Huawei are often suspected to have links with Chinese government. Fear of backdoors in telecommunications infrastructure equipment provided by the firms has been raised on more than one occasion. Both the companies have consistently denied the accusations.

The report of security hole in ZTE Score first turned up on code-sharing website Pastebin and others have since reported its presence in other ZTE smartphones too.

ZTE has dubbed the discovery as security vulnerability; downplaying suggestions it was left deliberately to enable backdoor access. It also confirmed that it was working on a patch; company however has denied its presence in other smartphones from the company.