Most popular home internet routers in US may be banned over security risks

America’s most popular home network router brand may be banned from sale in the country over concerns it poses a national threat Safety.

Three independent U.S. agencies have opened investigations into TP-Link routers, which account for 65% of the U.S. market, in part because more than 300 ISPs offer badged versions to customers…

this wall street journal Report.

U.S. authorities are investigating whether a Chinese company’s popular home network routers are linked to cyberattacks and pose a national security risk and are considering banning the devices. […]

Investigators from the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense and Justice have launched an investigation into the company, and authorities may ban sales of TP-Link routers in the U.S. next year, people familiar with the matter said.

There have long been concerns that so many ISPs choose to offer routers made by TP-Link to broadband customers because the routers often carry security holes that the company has failed to patch. What’s more, they are purchased by sensitive government agencies.

TP-Link routers supply everything from NASA to the Department of Defense and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the routers are sold on online military exchanges, federal contract documents show.

It’s as if their cheap price is considered the most important factor…

But it appears that the unpatched security flaw may just be the most significant of them all. The paper reports that TP-Link routers may have been effectively used as a botnet to conduct cyberattacks against U.S. organizations, including vendors to the Department of Defense.

An analysis released by Microsoft in October found that Chinese hacking entities maintain a large network of infected network devices, primarily including thousands of TP-Link routers. The network has been used by many Chinese actors to launch cyber attacks. These actors targeted Western targets, including think tanks, government organizations, NGOs, and DoD vendors.

That might explain why the Justice Department suspects the company is selling routers for less than they cost to make them.

The Justice Department is investigating whether the price differences violate federal law, which prohibits creating a monopoly by selling products below the cost of making them, people familiar with the matter said. A TP-Link spokesman said the company will not sell products below cost and is committed to complying with U.S. laws, including antitrust laws.

Picture: 9to5Mac composite pictures from TP-Link and Matthias Redding exist Not splashed