FCC targets routers in sweeping foreign tech crackdown that could impact TP-Link | Latest Tech News
The Trump administration is shifting to block new foreign-made web routers from getting into the US market, citing national security fears tied to Chinese manufacturers like TP-Link.
The Federal Communications Commission up to date its “Covered List” on Monday to embrace all consumer-grade routers produced exterior the United States, successfully barring new fashions from being accepted for sale unless they cross a stringent national security review.
Officials warned that “malicious actors have exploited security gaps in foreign-made routers to attack American households, disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft,” according to the company.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr is pushing a crackdown on foreign-made routers over national security issues tied to cyber threats. New York Post
The transfer doesn’t have an effect on routers already in use or fashions that have beforehand obtained authorization — but it could choke off a large pipeline of new devices in a market dominated by abroad manufacturing.
China-based TP-Link, a top-selling router model on Amazon, has emerged as a focus of concern after a sequence of cyberattacks heightened scrutiny in Washington.
At the same time, the sweeping nature of the rule means even US corporations that manufacture overseas could be caught in the dragnet.
US-based corporations like Netgear produce all of their {hardware} abroad — highlighting how deeply reliant the industry is on foreign provide chains.
“We commend the Administration and the FCC for their action toward a safer digital future for Americans,” a Netgear spokesperson told The Post.
The FCC is shifting to block new foreign-made routers — including devices from China-based manufacturers like TP-Link — over security dangers. Þûõó áÃâÃâ¬ÃÆà– stock.adobe.com
“As a US-founded and headquartered company with a legacy of American innovation, Netgear has long invested in security-first design, transparent practices, and adherence to government regulations, and we will continue to do so.”
The Post has sought remark from TP-Link.
“The bigger issue is the general concept of if we don’t have control over the hardware, we don’t know what backdoors are being put in,” cybersecurity skilled Joseph Steinberg told The Post.
Today, the FCC took extra motion to safeguard Americans and the communications networks we rely on.
The FCC added shopper routers produced in foreign international locations to the company’s Covered List.
This motion follows a national security dedication offered by Executive Branch… pic.twitter.com/s3OoEo5NOV
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) March 23, 2026
Steinberg, who lectures at Columbia University and has warned about China-related cyber dangers for many years, said the risk extends past software program vulnerabilities to the bodily parts inside devices.
“There have been cases of poisoned hardware,” he said, including that customers often overlook dangers tied to where and how devices are constructed.
Routers, which join telephones, computer systems and other devices to the web, sit at a crucial junction in home and business networks — making them a prime goal for hackers.
Millions of family routers could be half of a growing cyber risk as US regulators clamp down on foreign-made devices. eliosdnepr – stock.adobe.com
“A very significant percentage of the networking-related hacks have happened because of insecure consumer networking products,” Steinberg said.
The drawback has worsened as thousands and thousands of Americans shifted to distant work during the pandemic, often relying on outdated or poorly maintained home networks.
“A lot of people don’t update the stuff. They buy it, they put it in, they don’t have it set to auto update,” Steinberg said. “They do no maintenance on it.”
That leaves susceptible devices uncovered — and, in some circumstances, ready to be hijacked and used in broader cyberattacks.
“If you have a million people using a vulnerable internet-connected camera and those cameras get hacked, those can be used as a zombie network to attack other things,” he said.
“The minute you plug in vulnerable hardware to the internet, you’re exposing other people to risk.”
Federal officers have pointed to latest cyber campaigns — including operations dubbed Volt, Flax and Salt Typhoon — that focused US infrastructure between 2024 and 2025 and have been attributed to actors linked to the Chinese authorities.
The FCC said those incidents underscored how compromised networking tools could be used to infiltrate or disrupt crucial systems.
Under the new framework, corporations that manufacture routers overseas must search conditional approval before bringing new fashions into the US — a course of that will require disclosure of foreign possession, provide chain particulars and plans to shift manufacturing domestically.
Exemptions could also be granted if the Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security determines that sure devices are protected.
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