US FCC Bans Imports of New Foreign-Made Routers Over Security Concerns

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just banned the importation of new foreign-made consumer routers in the country, citing national security concerns. The US regulator pointed out that malicious actors have already taken advantage of security vulnerabilities in foreign-made routers to “disrupt networks, enable espionage, and facilitate intellectual property theft.”

In its decision, the FCC said that a White House-convened executive branch interagency body determined that foreign-made routers introduce “a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt the U.S. economy, critical infrastructure, and national defense” and pose “a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure and directly harm U.S. persons.”

Most consumer routers are made in China, and the FCC previously banned the import of new foreign-made drones in December over similar security concerns. However, this didn’t impact consumers’ ability to continue using the drones they previously purchased.

Previously authorized routers will fall in the same boat: US consumers can continue to use them, and retailers can also continue to sell and import consumer router models previously approved by the FCC. These routers can also continue to receive software and firmware updates.

From now on, router manufacturers will be able to apply for “conditional approvals” for their foreign-produced devices. It will then be up to the Department of War (DoW) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to authorize them after establishing that they don’t pose unacceptable security risks.

“I welcome this Executive Branch national security determination, and I am pleased that the FCC has now added foreign-produced routers, which were found to pose an unacceptable national security risk, to the FCC’s Covered List. Following President Trump’s leadership, the FCC will continue do our part in making sure that U.S. cyberspace, critical infrastructure, and supply chains are safe and secure,” said Brendan Carr, Chair of the US Federal Communications Commission.