Chinese Wi-Fi Router Vendor Draws US Congressional Ire

There's a growing threat from Chinese Wi-Fi routers manufactured by TP-Link Technologies in the US, and two Congressional representatives are calling for an investigation.

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party have called on the Department of Commerce to examine the company and verify the threat.

TP-Link is the world's largest provider of Wi-Fi products and is the leading Wi-Fi router provider in the US. The routers are made in the People's Republic of China (PRC), where the company is based, raising concerns that this makes it easier for state-sponsored hackers to compromise the routers and infiltrate US systems.

In addition to these concerns, TP-Link is subject to national security laws by the PRC, requiring Chinese vendors to submit sensitive data to Chinese intelligence officials. 

"TP-Link's unusual degree of vulnerabilities and required compliance with PRC law are in and of themselves disconcerting," stated the letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. "When combined with the PRC government's common use of SOHO [small office/home office] routers like TP-Link to perpetrate extensive cyberattacks in the United States, it becomes significantly alarming."

The two lawmakers are requesting a threat assessment and mitigation plan from Secretary Raimondo by the end of August.