FCC Adds Foreign Routers to Covered List

The Federal Communications Commission announced on Monday that it has added all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries to its Covered List, effectively prohibiting the sale of new models in the United States due to national security risks.

The decision stems from a National Security Determination issued by an executive branch interagency body, which identified vulnerabilities in foreign-made routers as a potential entry point for cyberattacks targeting American homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure. According to the FCC, these devices have been exploited in recent incidents, including the Volt Typhoon, Flax Typhoon, and Salt Typhoon operations, which compromised telecommunications, energy, transportation, and water systems. The agency emphasized that such routers could enable network disruptions, espionage, and intellectual property theft by state-sponsored actors.

Under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, the Covered List serves as a blacklist for equipment posing unacceptable risks to U.S. security. Items on the list cannot receive FCC equipment authorization, a requirement for importing, marketing, or selling devices that emit radio...