The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is calling on the U.S. Navy Exchange to take action against Lenovo computers due to concerns about the company’s ties with the CCP regime.
In a letter addressed to Navy Exchange Service Command CEO Robert Bianchi on October 4th, House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) expressed his worry about the sale of at least 10 Lenovo products on the Navy Exchange marketplace.
“The Navy Exchange is a valuable asset for U.S. servicemembers as its marketplace offers competitive prices with no sales taxes,” emphasized Mr. Gallagher in the letter.
“However, the Exchange should not be selling Lenovo products to U.S. servicemembers, especially with tax-free discounts. This poses a significant cybersecurity threat and undermines the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2023 Cyber Strategy, which prioritizes ‘fostering a culture of cybersecurity and cyber awareness,'” he added.
The House Select Committee has requested a briefing from Mr. Bianchi by October 20th to clarify the Navy Exchange’s decision to sell Lenovo products to active-duty U.S. servicemembers.
Lenovo’s largest shareholder is the CCP, and the company has connections to the Chinese military and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Mr. Gallagher also highlighted Lenovo’s involvement in the CCP’s espionage campaigns.
Subcommittee chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) speaks during a House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation hearing about artificial intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 18, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Mr. Gallagher expressed concern that the sale of Chinese-linked tech products could potentially expose servicemembers’ sensitive personal information to the CCP, posing a risk to U.S. national security.
“According to the 2023 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, China is the most active and persistent cyber espionage threat to U.S. Government and private-sector networks,” he stated.
“PRC espionage campaigns are highly sophisticated and could certainly target U.S. servicemembers on their personal computer and IT devices,” Mr. Gallagher added, using the official name of the People’s Republic of China.
Concerns Over Lenovo’s Relations With CCP
In a report commissioned by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, technology experts revealed that Lenovo is suspected of being involved in the installation of Superfish spyware and backdoor access on some of its computer products.
“Superfish is a preloaded software shipped with Lenovo computers that supposedly monitored internet browser traffic for advertising purposes, but it also allowed hackers to access encrypted browser traffic, including sensitive information like banking transactions, passwords, emails, and instant messages,” the report explains.
The report also mentioned that intelligence agencies in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand have banned Lenovo products since the mid-2000s due to reports of “backdoor” access and vulnerable firmware found in Lenovo products.
In 2006, the State Department prohibited the use of Lenovo computers on classified systems to prevent any compromise of sensitive information and communication channels.
Furthermore, the report revealed that the U.S. Navy decided to replace servers for its guided missile cruisers and destroyers in 2015 after Lenovo acquired certain IBM server and software product lines.
“In 2016, several incidents suggested that the Department of Defense may have banned Lenovo products due to concerns about cyber spying on Pentagon networks and suspicions of backdoors installed by the company for espionage purposes,” it added.
According to an October 2021 report by China Tech Threat, at least 38 states in the United States have contracts with Lenovo and Lexmark, both of which are tech companies affiliated with the CCP regime.
The report warned that Chinese-linked products could potentially gain access to sensitive personal and financial information held by various government departments and agencies, including courts, police departments, elections departments, education departments, and social service providers.
What are the implications of Lenovo’s close ties to the Chinese military and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in relation to state-sponsored cyber espionage campaigns?
Re on its computers. Superfish was a form of adware that was pre-installed on Lenovo laptops and could intercept users’ secure connections, exposing their sensitive information to potential attackers.
This incident, which occurred in 2015, raised serious concerns about Lenovo’s relationship with the CCP and its commitment to cybersecurity. Since Lenovo is heavily influenced by the CCP as its largest shareholder, there are concerns that the company could be compelled to cooperate with the Chinese government in its cyber espionage activities.
Furthermore, Lenovo has been linked to the Chinese military and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, both of which have close ties with the CCP. This raises additional concerns about the company’s involvement in state-sponsored cyber espionage campaigns.
In light of these concerns, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is urging the U.S. Navy Exchange to take action against Lenovo computers. Selling Lenovo products to U.S. servicemembers, especially with tax-free discounts, poses a significant cybersecurity threat. This not only undermines the U.S. Department of Defense’s 2023 Cyber Strategy but also puts servicemembers’ personal information at risk of being exposed to the CCP.
The U.S. Intelligence Community has consistently identified China as the most active and persistent cyber espionage threat to U.S. government and private-sector networks. Given the sophisticated nature of PRC espionage campaigns, it is entirely possible that U.S. servicemembers could be targeted on their personal computer and IT devices.
To address these concerns, the House Select Committee has requested a briefing from Navy Exchange Service Command CEO Robert Bianchi. The committee seeks clarification on the Navy Exchange’s decision to sell Lenovo products and its
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