Venezuela's President Maduro Claims His Huawei Mate X6 Smartphone is 'Unhackable' to US Cyber Spies
Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro showcased a Huawei Mate X6 smartphone, reportedly gifted by China's President Xi Jinping, and claimed that US cyber spies cannot hack it. The president's assertion has raised questions about the security of the device and whether it is truly "unhackable."
Maduro displayed his gift from Xi Jinping during a press conference on September 1st, 2025, stating, "Look, Xi Jinping gave me this, a Huawei, the best phone in the world, the Huawei, and the Americans can't hack it, neither their spy planes, nor their satellites."
But is Huawei Mate X6 smartphone really difficult to hack? The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. Any device can be compromised when targeted by a well-resourced and highly capable adversary, such as a nation-state actor.
However, the integration of hardware and software in Huawei devices makes them more challenging to hack compared to devices built on widely used platforms like Android or iOS. When a company produces both the hardware and the operating system for its devices, as Huawei does with HarmonyOS and the Mate X6, it reduces the attack surface.
The integration can make hacking more difficult because the software is tightly coupled with the hardware and may use proprietary designs, undocumented features, or unique security mechanisms that are less familiar to attackers. This reduces the availability of public research, exploits, and off-the-shelf tools that hackers often rely on.
However, this same integration also introduces challenges: if the operating system is relatively new, like HarmonyOS, it is more likely to contain implementation errors and design flaws since it hasn’t undergone years of global scrutiny like iOS or Android. For governments or skilled actors, this means there may be more vulnerabilities to discover.
The complexity grows further with patching: even if Huawei promises monthly updates, the fragmented delivery across models and carriers can leave devices exposed for long periods. In fact, documents leaked by Edward Snowden in 2014 revealed a major US intelligence campaign against China, focusing on Huawei, which included targeting former President Hu Jintao, ministries, banks, and telecom firms.
The NSA allegedly launched "Shotgiant" to infiltrate Huawei, copying a customer list of 1,400 firms, internal training docs, and even accessing Huawei's email archives and source code. By exploiting Huawei's central mail hub in Shenzhen, the agency read communications from top executives, including CEO Ren Zhengfei.
So, is the Huawei Mate X6 smartphone really difficult to hack? The answer is that it depends on various factors, including the sophistication of the attacker and the specific vulnerabilities present in the device. While Huawei's integration of hardware and software may make it more challenging to hack, it also introduces new risks.
As Maduro's claim suggests, the security landscape is complex and constantly evolving. It is essential for individuals and organizations to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to protect themselves from cyber threats.