The leading brand of home internet routers in the United States could be prohibited from sale due to concerns regarding national security.
Three different U.S. agencies have initiated investigations into TP-Link routers, which dominate 65% of the market in the U.S., partly because these routers are distributed to customers through over 300 internet service providers (ISPs).
The WSJ has reported.
U.S. officials are examining whether a Chinese firm, whose highly used home internet routers have been connected to cyberattacks, poses a national-security threat and are contemplating a ban on these devices.
Probes have been launched by investigators from the Commerce, Defense, and Justice departments, with a potential ban on TP-Link routers in the U.S. anticipated next year, as per sources familiar with the situation.
Concerns have persisted about the prevalence of ISPs that provide broadband customers with TP-Link routers, especially since these devices have often been shipped with security vulnerabilities that the company neglects to address. This situation is even more alarming considering some products have been obtained by sensitive government bodies.
Federal contracts indicate that TP-Link routers are used by various organizations ranging from NASA to the Defense Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and they are even available for sale at online military exchanges.
It seems the low price has been given precedence over security concerns.
However, the risks associated with unaddressed security flaws could be minor compared to other issues. Reports suggest that TP-Link routers may have unintentionally formed a botnet used for cyberattacks against U.S. entities, including contractors for the Defense Department.
An analysis by Microsoft released in October indicated that a Chinese hacking group manages a sizable network of compromised devices, primarily consisting of thousands of TP-Link routers. This network has been employed by various Chinese actors for cyberattacks against Western entities—think tanks, governmental bodies, NGOs, and Defense Department contractors.
This might clarify why the Justice Department is investigating whether the company engages in practices that violate federal laws by pricing their products below manufacturing costs.
The Justice Department is looking into the price discrepancies to determine if they breach a federal law that prohibits monopolistic practices by selling products at a loss, according to insights from a person aware of the investigation. A TP-Link spokesperson asserted that the company does not sell items below cost and adheres to U.S. regulations, including antimonopoly statutes.
Image: DMN composite of images from TP-Link and Mathias Reding on Unsplash
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