Exactly. They built a backdoor that "only they" could get into and then somebody else slipped into it anyway.
The backdoor is a vulnerability even if you don't have the keys because it requires the trappings of third party access. If you try to get something in the shape of a backdoor through code review, you should get knocked back. But if something in the shape of a backdoor is required then a change in who has the keys to the lock is much smaller, more subtle and easier to sneak in.