US Bans Import Of Foreign-Made Routers Over Cybersecurity Risks
US Bans Import Of Foreign-Made Routers Over Cybersecurity Risks
Publish Date: 2026-03-23 22:18:00
Source Domain: www.businesstoday.com.my
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on March 23 a ban on the import of all new foreign-made consumer routers, citing severe cybersecurity risks linked to Chinese-made devices.
China controls an estimated 60% of the US home router market. While the order does not affect existing models, it prohibits new imports unless exempted by the Pentagon for low-risk devices.
Reuters reported that the FCC said foreign routers have been exploited to target households, disrupt networks, enable espionage and facilitate intellectual property theft, citing major hacks such as Volt and Salt Typhoon.
The move has been welcomed by lawmakers concerned about Chinese cyber threats. Representative John Moolenaar called the ban “a tremendous decision…protecting our country against China’s relentless cyberattacks”.
The action follows previous FCC measures, including a December ban on new imports of Chinese drones, and comes amid ongoing legal scrutiny of companies like TP-Link Systems, accused of security and data concerns linked to China.
TP-Link has denied government control over its products and pledged to defend its reputation. The Chinese Embassy in Washington has not commented on the latest development.
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