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Chinese Wi-Fi router supplier angers US Congress
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Chinese Wi-Fi router supplier angers US Congress

There is a growing threat from Chinese Wi-Fi routers, produced by TP-Link Technologies in the US, and two members of Congress 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 Commerce Department to investigate the company and verify the threat.

TP-Link is the world’s largest supplier of Wi-Fi products and is the leading Wi-Fi router vendor in the U.S. Its routers are made in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), where the company is based, raising concerns that this could make it easier for state-sponsored hackers to compromise the routers and infiltrate U.S. systems.

In addition to these concerns, TP-Link is subject to the national security laws of the People’s Republic of China, which require Chinese suppliers to provide sensitive data to Chinese intelligence agencies.

“TP-Link’s unusual level of vulnerability and required compliance with Chinese law are troubling in their own right,” according to the letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo“When this is combined with the Chinese government’s extensive use of SOHO (small office/home office) routers like TP-Link to launch large-scale cyberattacks in the United States, it becomes very alarming.”

The two lawmakers are asking Minister Raimondo to provide a threat assessment and mitigation plan by the end of August.