US authorities are investigating whether a Chinese company that makes home internet routers, among other things, has been linked to cyber-attacks and poses a national security risk, considering banning the devices.

China-based manufacturer TP-Link has about 65% of the US home and small business router market. It is also the top choice on Amazon and powers online communications for the Department of Defense and other federal government agencies.

According to the WSJ, investigators at the Commerce, Defense and Justice departments have launched investigations into the company and are considering prohibit the sale of TP-Link products in the US in 2025;

An analysis by Microsoft published in October, found that a Chinese hacking entity maintains a large network of compromised network devices consisting primarily of thousands of TP-Link routers.

The network has been used by many Chinese to launch cyber attacks against government agencies, non-governmental organizations and Defense Department suppliers.

TP-Link routers regularly ship to customers with security flaws that the company often fails to address. While routers are often buggy, regardless of manufacturer, TP-Link does not cooperate with security researchers

TP-Link sells in the US through a business unit based in California. A spokeswoman for that unit said TP-Link is assessing potential security risks and taking action to address vulnerabilities

“We welcome any opportunity to work with the US government to demonstrate that our security practices are fully compliant with industry security standards and to demonstrate our continued commitment to the US market, US consumers and addressing national security risks. of US security,” the spokeswoman said.

Asked to comment on possible action against TP-Link, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said the US was using the pretext of national security to “suppress Chinese companies”. He added that Beijing will “resolutely defend” the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

TP-Link routers do not appear to be related to China’s alleged breaches of at least 8 US telecom companies by a group named Salt Typhoon.

Anne Neuberger, a top White House official, said the administration was “looking to take action to mitigate risks to the telecommunications supply chain.”

TP-Link’s growth in the US took off during the pandemic, when people were confined to work at home and needed reliable internet.

The company climbed from about 20% of the US market for home and small business routers in 2019 to about 65% this year.

TP-Link’s market dominance was achieved in part through low prices.

Taiwan

Taiwan, which has restrictions on the use of technology from China, has banned TP-Link routers from government and educational facilities. The Indian government, which has also clashed with China, issued a warning this year about TP-Link, saying the routers posed a security risk.

US officials have revealed no evidence that TP-Link is a deliberate conduit for Chinese state-sponsored cyberattacks.

US router companies have also been linked to major hacks. US researchers have linked some recent critical infrastructure intrusions attributed to a Chinese hacker group called Volt Typhoon to old routers made by Silicon Valley-based Cisco Systems and Netgear.