According to the Wall Street Journal, Washington is investigating the most popular home internet router brand due to its possible links to China-backed cyberattacks. The Justice and Defense, and Commerce departments are investigating the router brand, and the Commerce Department is subpoenaing the company.
As the report indicates, the investigation could lead to a potential ban on the popular router brand as early as next year, as the attacks targeted Defense Department suppliers, government organizations, non-government organizations, and think tanks. The ban could be a massive hit for the router brand, which holds about 65% of the U.S. market and, as mentioned in the report, is even a router used by the Department of Defense and NASA.
The Wall Street Journal also comments that TP-Link routers are commonly shipped to customers despite their security flaws, and according to people familiar with the matter, the company refuses to address this.
But the router brand spokeswoman had something different to say: “We welcome any opportunities to engage with the U.S. government to demonstrate that our security practices are fully in line with industry security standards and to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the U.S. market, U.S. consumers, and addressing U.S. national security risks.”
If the router ban becomes a reality, it will be one of the most extensive extractions of Chinese telecom equipment from the U.S. since the Trump administration removed Huawei Technologies in 2019. The low prices of some TP-Link routers have definitely made them attractive over the years, and some of the more high-end options rank among the best Wi-Fi routers you can buy — at least, before this news broke.
Regardless of what happens, you can stay safe by securing your Wi-Fi network and updating your router firmware. It’s important to keep the firmware up to date to get the latest patches that remove vulnerabilities hackers use to exploit it.