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Venezuela’s president thinks American spies can’t hack Huawei phones

During a press conference this week, Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro proudly held up a Huawei smartphone, gifted to him by China’s President Xi Jinping. He called it “the best phone in the world” and made a bold statement: Venezuela’s president thinks American spies can’t hack Huawei phones.

Image Credits:Jesus Vargas / Getty Images

“The Americans can’t hack it, neither their spy planes, nor their satellites,” Maduro claimed while showing off what appeared to be Huawei’s foldable Mate X6, released in 2024.

Can Huawei phones really be unhackable?

Maduro’s confidence aside, security experts say no device is impossible to hack — especially when U.S. government hackers are considered among the most skilled in the world.

A U.S.-based vulnerability researcher told TechCrunch that Huawei’s approach of building both its hardware and its mobile operating system, HarmonyOS, could actually make its devices more vulnerable.

“There’s bound to be many more mistakes in their brand-new code than in iOS and Android at this time,” the researcher said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive cybersecurity issues.

HarmonyOS and ongoing security concerns

HarmonyOS, like any other software, contains bugs that need regular patching. Huawei promises monthly security updates for the Mate X6, but the company admits that not all devices or carriers receive updates that often. Some only get patches quarterly.

In fact, just last month, Huawei fixed 60 bugs in HarmonyOS — 13 of which were labeled “high severity.” This highlights that, despite Maduro’s claim, Huawei phones remain potential targets for sophisticated cyberattacks.

Huawei’s stance on device security

Huawei itself acknowledges that its devices can be infected with malware. The company even maintains a dedicated support page for customers dealing with hacked phones.

While Maduro insists American spies can’t break into Huawei devices, cybersecurity researchers remain skeptical. The reality is that no smartphone, whether running iOS, Android, or HarmonyOS, is completely safe from highly skilled hackers.