US Bans All Foreign-Made Consumer Routers - Schneier on Security
US bans foreign-made consumer routers; new imports require FCC approval and disclosure of foreign influence.
Summary
The US Executive Branch has implemented a ban on foreign-manufactured consumer routers, citing supply chain vulnerabilities and severe cybersecurity risks to critical infrastructure. New routers made outside the US must receive FCC approval before import, marketing, or sale, with manufacturers required to disclose foreign investors and outline plans to relocate production domestically. The policy exempts existing routers and allows DoD/DHS to approve specific foreign models on a case-by-case basis.
Full text
US Bans All Foreign-Made Consumer Routers This is for new routers; you don’t have to throw away your existing ones: The Executive Branch determination noted that foreign-produced routers (1) introduce “a supply chain vulnerability that could disrupt the U.S. economy, critical infrastructure, and national defense” and (2) pose “a severe cybersecurity risk that could be leveraged to immediately and severely disrupt U.S. critical infrastructure and directly harm U.S. persons.” More information: Any new router made outside the US will now need to be approved by the FCC before it can be imported, marketed, or sold in the country. In order to get that approval, companies manufacturing routers outside the US must apply for conditional approval in a process that will require the disclosure of the firm’s foreign investors or influence, as well as a plan to bring the manufacturing of the routers to the US. Certain routers may be exempted from the list if they are deemed acceptable by the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security, the FCC said. Neither agency has yet added any specific routers to its list of equipment exceptions. […] Popular brands of router in the US include Netgear, a US company, which manufactures all of its products abroad. One exception to the general absence of US-made routers is the newer Starlink WiFi router. Starlink is part of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. Presumably US companies will start making home routers, if they think this policy is stable enough to plan around. But they will be more expensive than routers made in China or Taiwan. Security is never free, but policy determines who pays for it. Tags: China, cyberattack, hardware, national security policy Posted on April 2, 2026 at 1:28 PM • 3 Comments