The most popular brand of home internet routers in the US could be banned from sale in the country over concerns it poses a national security risk.
Three separate US agencies have launched investigations into TP-Link routers, which account for 65% of the US market, in part because versions of the brand are shipped to customers by more than 300 internet service providers …
WSJ reports.
US Authorities are investigating whether a Chinese company whose popular home internet routers have been linked to cyberattacks poses a national security threat and are considering banning the devices […]
Investigators from the Commerce, Defense and Justice departments have launched their own probes into the company, and authorities could ban TP-Link routers from being sold in the U.S. next year, according to people familiar with the matter.
It has long been a concern that so many Internet service providers choose to ship broadband customers routers made by TP-Link, given that they often come with security vulnerabilities that the company fails to patch. Especially since they have been purchased by sensitive government agencies.
Federal contract documents show TP-Link routers being shipped to everyone from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to the Defense Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the routers are being sold on online military exchanges.
It appears that their low price was considered the most important factor …
But it appears that unpatched security vulnerabilities may be the least of it. The article reports that TP-Link routers may have been effectively used as a botnet to launch cyberattacks on US organizations, including Department of Defense suppliers.
A Microsoft analysis published in October found that a Chinese hacker organization maintained a large network of compromised network devices, primarily consisting of thousands of TP-Link routers. This network was used by multiple Chinese actors to launch cyberattacks. The actors went after Western targets, including think tanks, government organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and Defense Department suppliers.
That could explain the Justice Department's suspicions that the company is selling routers for less than the cost of making them.
The Justice Department is investigating whether the price differences violate a federal law that prohibits attempts to create a monopoly by selling products below the cost of making them, according to a person familiar with the matter. A TP-Link spokeswoman said the company does not sell products below cost and is committed to complying with U.S. laws, including antitrust laws.
Image: 9to5Mac, compiled from images by TP-Link and Matthias Reding on Unsplash
