The U.S. should view penetration by Chinese telecommunication companies into the U.S. telecom market with suspicion, wrote U.S. representatives Mike Rogers and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Monday.

"The investigation concludes that the risks associated with Huawei's and ZTE's provision of equipment to U.S. critical infrastructure could undermine core U.S. national-security interests," the study said. The committee added that telecommunication networks are vulnerable to malicious attacks and could expose critical U.S. infrastructure to failure, cyberespionage or cyberattacks.

The committee has asked the U.S. government to not acquire equipment from ZTE and Huawei, and also recommended that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) block acquisitions or mergers because of the security threat posed by the companies. The committee has also discouraged private-sector companies from acquiring equipment from the Chinese telecom companies.

The U.S. government needs to pay attention to key companies receiving financial support from the Chinese government, the committee wrote.

"Committees of jurisdiction in the U.S. Congress should consider potential legislation to better address the risk posed by telecommunications companies with nation-state ties or otherwise not clearly trusted to build critical infrastructure," according to the report.