Washington is investigating TP-Link, the most popular brand of home network routers in the United States, in connection with recent cyberattacks. according to wall street journalThe Chinese company currently holds about 65% of the U.S. home and small business router market (up from 20% in 2019), and its products are also used by the Department of Defense and several other federal agencies, including NASA and the DEA.
According to the report, three government agencies – the Departments of Commerce, Defense and Justice – have launched investigations into TP-Link. The Commerce Department has issued a subpoena to the company. Additionally, some sources indicate that the White House may ban the popular router brand next year, especially if Donald Trump takes office in January and pursues aggressive trade policies.
Recently, Typhoon Salt hit many U.S. telecommunications companies Mainly for Cisco equipment. Even so, this is one reason why the investigation into TP-Link continues to heat up. Microsoft A Chinese hacker group is using a broad network of infected TP-Link routers to launch cyber attacks against Western targets, the report said. These targets include public and private entities, think tanks and Department of Defense contractors.
Earlier this month, Deputy National Safety Consultant Anne Neuberger said the government “is looking to take action to mitigate risks in the telecoms supply chain”. The investigation and potential ban on TP-Link are reminiscent of the Trump administration’s 2019 move against Huawei, when the brand was not only banned from selling its products in the United States but had all of its hardware removed from U.S. infrastructure. remove. Even today, governments still spend billions of dollars Replace old Huawei and ZTE equipment Some U.S. telecommunications companies still use it.
TP-Link is a popular router brand, in part because of its low prices, which are often more than 50% lower than competitors like D-Link and Netgear. Many Internet service providers also offer TP-Link routers as standard to new users. Since most users are already satisfied with the included router, they use it frequently until the router breaks or they switch providers.
Still, the company didn’t brush off the accusations. A company spokesperson said: “We welcome any opportunity to engage with the U.S. government to demonstrate that our security practices are fully compliant with industry security standards and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the U.S. market, U.S. consumers and addressing U.S. national security risks.” TP -Link even moved its headquarters to the United States to shift the company away from China.
Although the company has moved away from its Chinese roots, the Chinese Embassy in Washington commented that the White House investigation and ban were aimed at “suppressing Chinese companies,” especially given that TP-Link currently dominates the home router market.
Currently, the U.S. government has not released any evidence that TP-Link knowingly allowed its products to be used in Chinese government-sponsored cyberattacks. But if it does go ahead with banning the popular brand, many U.S. router makers will be ready to take advantage of the vacuum it leaves.