Network and security hardware undergoes long and expensive design and development processes to remove vulnerabilities and flaws. Rogue hardware manufacturers in Asia are producing reverse engineered clones that mimic functioning and appearance of the devices for a fraction of the cost, but often riddled with vulnerabilities. Or even worse, implanted with malware or hidden backdoors.
Detecting a hidden backdoor in the micro circuitry of a processor is very difficult and expensive and usually destroys the chip. The exploit can be installed during the design process by the manufacturer, or it can be surreptitiously inserted into the design by espionage. Once the chip is manufactured and placed in a device, it’s almost impossible to detect until activated by an outside command. China has used this to method for corporate espionage around the globe.
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