The US Department of Commerce is investigating China-based company, TP-Link Technologies Co., to determine whether it poses a national security threat to the United States.
The investigation was launched after two US representatives from the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party noticed “an unusual degree of vulnerabilities” in TP-Link’s devices. They learned that “companies like TP-Link are required to provide data to the PRC government” and that PRC cyber military forces have used TP-Link-made routers in a hacking campaign last year which targeted government officials in Europe. Given these alarming discoveries, they called upon the Department of Commerce to verify whether the technology company poses a real threat to the security of the country.
TP-Link is a technology company founded in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1996. It is the world’s largest Wi-Fi provider, selling over 160 million products per year to over 170 countries. It is also the leading provider for small office/home office (SOHO) routers in the United States. TP-Link devices can also be found on U.S. military bases, where they are also selling TP-Link products to service members and their families.
KPRC 2’s Content Gatherer Isa Gonzalez Montilla spoke to cybersecurity expert and CEO of FiTech, Ian Marlow, about how concerning this really is. They also talk about what a cyber-attack looks like, the purpose behind them, and what you can do to protect yourself.