ON 23 March, according to the article, the Federal Communications Commission moved to add foreign-made consumer routers to its national security risk list, a decision that could ban the import of new models made outside the United States while allowing continued use of existing devices and some exemptions.
The FCC argues that such routers pose unacceptable risks to national security, citing potential backdoors, mass surveillance, data theft and use in botnets, and notes that foreign-made routers have been involved in attacks targeting critical infrastructure. The piece also highlights that almost all SOHO and many commercial routers are manufactured outside the US, raising concerns about supply chain exposure, though it stresses the policy does not require immediate replacement of existing equipment.
Industry voices quoted include Rebecca Krauthamer of QuSecure, who frames the measure as a step toward sovereign technology stacks, and Jim Needham of FTI Consulting, who warns the ban could keep outdated gear in place longer. Some security experts, including Jason Soroko of Sectigo, caution that attacker opportunities arise from operational weaknesses rather than origin, and the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act is mentioned as a contrasting approach.