Huawei laptops featured a “back door” that could have allowed strangers to spy on their users, increasing fears around Chinese espionage

Microsoft researchers who discovered the fault in the Shenzhen-based company’s software described it as an Achilles’ heel that could be abused by attackers to seize control of users’ machines. It is unclear if the flaw was exploited to compromise PCs, but Huawei is already under heavy scrutiny over fears that China could exploit its equipment to spy on western targets.

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The problem affected software for Huawei’s Matebook laptops, which are sold in Britain. It could have enabled “full compromise” of the machines, allowing attackers to view users’ actions remotely and manipulate or steal their data. It was identified by Microsoft’s Defender anti-malware software; Huawei