American lawmakers have demanded an investigation into the Chinese company TP-Link, the largest manufacturer of Wi-Fi routers. TP-Link has come under suspicion for possible involvement in cyber attacks on US government agencies and businesses.
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Republican John Moolenaar and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, who chair the House Select Committee on China, sent a letter to the Commerce Department requesting an investigation, Reuters reports.
In their appeal, American congressmen pointed out known vulnerabilities in TP-Link firmware, as well as cases of this company’s routers being used for targeted attacks on government officials from European countries. The letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, “We ask the Department to review the threat posed by China-linked routers, especially those offered by the world’s largest manufacturer such as TP-Link.” They stress that the situation is a “blatant threat to national security.”
The Ministry of Commerce said it would look into the matter and send a response. The Chinese Embassy, in turn, said it hopes authorities “will rely on evidence when identifying cyber incidents, rather than making unfounded assumptions and accusations.” TP-Link itself has not yet commented.
The congressional request highlights growing concerns that Beijing could use Chinese-made routers and other equipment to launch cyberattacks on U.S. government agencies and companies. For example, last year, US authorities, with the support of Microsoft, identified the Volt Typhoon hacking campaign associated with the Chinese government. By taking control of private routers, the attackers tried to hide subsequent attacks on critical US infrastructure.