US mulls ban on China’s TP-Link routers over national security concerns – report

The U.S. authorities are probing if China’s TP-Link Technology poses a national-security risk after the company’s routers were linked to cyberattacks, and are considering banning the devices, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The Commerce, Defense, and Justice departments have opened separate investigations into the company, with authorities aiming for a ban on the sale of TP-Link routers in the U.S. as early as next year, the report added.

“The DOD has nothing to offer on this issue at this time,” said a Duty Officer, Press Operations, at the U.S. Department of Defense in an emailed statement to Seeking Alpha.

TP-Link, the U.S. Commerce, and Justice departments have not yet responded to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.

An office of the Commerce Department has subpoenaed the company while the Defense Department started its probe into the routers earlier this year, the report noted.

The move could be due to rising concerns that Beijing could exploit Chinese-origin routers and other equipment in cyberattacks on U.S. governments and businesses, according to a report from Reuters.

In August, Republican Representative John Moolenaar and Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi requested a Commerce Department probe into TP-Link over national security concerns, as per a prior report from Reuters.

Last year, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency noted that TP-Link routers had a vulnerability which could be exploited to execute remote code, the report added.