The procurement agency of the most populous country on Earth is again in the spotlight for apparently asking its public sector to stop buying foreign software.
The Central Government Procurement Center, which issued a ban on Microsoft's Windows 8 in May, has removed Symantec and Kaspersky Lab products from its list of approved software according to a Bloomberg report.
Citing undisclosed sources, the news outlet says that the exclusion comes a few weeks after the Chinese Public Security Ministry singled out Symantec software and highlighted security vulnerabilities.
High-risk
Its Data Loss Prevention software is said to contain "high-risk security loopholes including backdoors that could allow outside access". The company has since issued a statement saying that it "does not put hidden functionality or back doors into any of its technologies - not for the NSA or any other government entities".
Another company caught in the controversy is Moscow-based Kasperky Lab although details of what software was deemed unsecured and what vulnerabilities were discovered remain sketchy.
It said in a statement that it was "investigating and speaking with Chinese authorities on the matter", adding that it was "premature to go into more details at this time".
