Venezuela’s President Claims American Spies Can’t Hack Huawei Phones — Reality Check for Tech Security

During a recent press conference, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro proudly unveiled a Huawei Mate X6 smartphone—personally gifted by China’s President Xi Jinping—calling it “the best phone in the world.” He went further, boldly declaring, “The Americans can’t hack it, neither their spy planes, nor their satellites.”

The Reality of Security Claims

Maduro’s statement, while headline-grabbing, does not stand up to scrutiny in the world of cybersecurity. Security researchers emphasize that any digital device, regardless of origin or operating system, can potentially be hacked—especially by advanced state actors like those within the U.S. government. In fact, an American vulnerability researcher told TechCrunch that Huawei’s proprietary approach—designing both its hardware and its operating system, HarmonyOS—may introduce more vulnerabilities than mature platforms like Android or iOS. As the researcher notes, “There’s bound to be many more mistakes in their brand-new code than in iOS and Android at this time.”

For context, Huawei’s operating system, HarmonyOS, receives monthly security updates for flagship phones like the Mate X6, but these promises can be fluid. Patches may become quarterly for some models, depending on the region or carrier. In August alone, Huawei patched 60 vulnerabilities, 13 of which were classified as “high severity.” The company even maintains a dedicated resource to help users recover from malware infections or hacking incidents.

Historical Hacking: The NSA and Huawei

Contrary to Maduro’s assertion, there is well-documented evidence of U.S. intelligence agencies targeting Huawei. Documents leaked by Edward Snowden in 2014 confirmed that the NSA not only hacked into Huawei servers but also managed to plant backdoors within company infrastructure and spy on communications at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen. Over a decade later, cybersecurity experts assume this focus has only intensified, with dedicated U.S. teams likely searching for—and exploiting—vulnerabilities in Huawei devices.

Huawei did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment, but the public record suggests a constant cat-and-mouse game between device makers and state-sponsored hackers.

Continuous Threat Landscape

The situation underlines a broader lesson for individuals, companies, and even governments: Absolute security is an illusion. All connected devices, especially those of strategic value, remain targets for highly-skilled adversaries. The presence of monthly updates and a history of critical patches points to ongoing efforts but also persistent risks.

Deep Founder Analysis

Why it matters

This scenario spotlights the rising intersection of national politics and tech innovation. For startups, it’s a reminder that hardware and software are both vectors for influence and vulnerability. As governments seek technological self-reliance or partners aligned with their interests, the contest for security and trust will reshape both supply chains and markets. Startups in emerging markets should note how perceived security (or lack thereof) can become a defining feature in adoption and partnerships.

Risks & opportunities

The biggest risk is a bifurcation of the global tech ecosystem, with businesses and governments choosing solutions based on geopolitical alignment rather than technical merit. This could restrict market access or limit cross-border scale for startups. On the opportunity side, there’s a gap for trusted, transparent security auditing and firmware patch management services—especially for new platforms with rapidly evolving codebases, like HarmonyOS.

Startup idea or application

One promising direction is a neutral, cloud-based vulnerability scanning and patch notification service for mobile and IoT devices. Designed for international enterprises, this platform could bridge gaps between device manufacturers and end-users, ensuring that critical security flaws are reported and addressed promptly—regardless of the device vendor’s politics. This concept could extend to automated compliance reporting for regulated industries.

Related Reading

If you’re interested in other stories about security and the global tech landscape, check out A New Era for EV Owners: Charging Standard Shifts, Waymo’s Expansion, and Startup Opportunities and Cracks Emerging in Meta and Scale AI’s Billion-Dollar Alliance: What Startup Ecosystems Can Learn on the Deep Founder blog.

Cybersecurity Mobile Security Huawei Startup Insights Vulnerability Management

Visit Deep Founder to learn how to start your own startup, validate your idea, and build it from scratch.

📚 Read more articles in our Deep Founder blog.