Whoa, that escalated quickly.
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Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.
"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”
"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.”
"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."
"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov."
Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
@briankrebs There is a logic to this. If a foreign country might cause their nation's soft/hardware to be used in a way that is nationalistic - then a ban could be justified. So by this logic, the EU, Canada & Southern hemisphere countries should immediately ban all new Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Amazon products.
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@briankrebs likely translation: No new routers can be sold in the US unless they have a backdoor for the federal government
@raphaelmorgan @briankrebs
Might just be regular old jingoistic profiteering? -
I'm sure that a few donations to the 'correct' Political Action Committees will get any foreign supplier onto the allowed list very quickly.
The best government money can buy!
Yeah, I keep glazing over the extortion angle in all this. You gotta love those public private partnerships.
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@briankrebs likely translation: No new routers can be sold in the US unless they have a backdoor for the federal government
@raphaelmorgan @briankrebs corollary: other countries should not import any US made routers, due to national security concerns
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Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.
"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”
"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.”
"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."
"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov."
Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
But everything in made in China
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@raphaelmorgan @briankrebs
Might just be regular old jingoistic profiteering?@EndlessMason @raphaelmorgan @briankrebs Well, Fairchild and US Robotics aren't suddenly going to fall through a temporal wormhole to make new gear.
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@briankrebs Brendan Carr is a dummy.
@Emerson61 @briankrebs Brendan Carr suuuuuucks at his job.
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Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.
"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”
"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.”
"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."
"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov."
Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
@briankrebs so this is just noted idiot Brendan Carr being told by his boss to gin up another reason for companies to pay him bribes, I guess...
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Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.
"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”
"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.”
"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."
"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov."
Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
@briankrebs ok so go buy a cisco router for 2000 dollars now for your home. But wait, where is it manufactured? outside the US... I frankly dont know any router which is completely made in the US ONLY. This is the dumbest ruling ever. It will isolate the US from the world (if not someone else would not have already taken care of that).
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@raphaelmorgan @briankrebs corollary: other countries should not import any US made routers, due to national security concerns
@anyia @raphaelmorgan @briankrebs There was a meme a while back that I can't find an image if but the alt text would be
A cable plugged into a Cisco router to protect from Russian spyware goes into a Mikrotik router to protect from Chinese spyware and a cable goes from the Mikrotik to a D-Link router to protect from American spyware.
(There may have been a fortigate in the original image, but that would just be too funny and tragic.)
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@briankrebs likely translation: No new routers can be sold in the US unless they have a backdoor for the federal government
@raphaelmorgan @briankrebs they already have access at the CO, this is more punitive, did baron get caught smoking pot on the roof?
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Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.
"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”
"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.”
"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."
"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov."
Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
@briankrebs The text version says previously-approved models are still approved. ***Asterisks*** added to point out the relevant section.
What the actual fuck, team shitstain?
"As outlined below, today’s action does not impact a consumer’s continued use of routers they previously acquired. ***Nor does it prevent retailers from continuing to sell, import, or market router models approved previously through the FCC’s equipment authorization process. By operation of the FCC’s Covered List rules, the restrictions imposed today apply to new device models."***
eta link:
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-420034A1.txt
eta emphasis: THIS DOES NOT MAKE THIS RULING OKAY. It just means routers don't immediately disappear from shelves.
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@EndlessMason @raphaelmorgan @briankrebs Well, Fairchild and US Robotics aren't suddenly going to fall through a temporal wormhole to make new gear.
@linuxandyarn @raphaelmorgan @briankrebs
Maybe somebody will buy the trademarks and import the chassis/boards and slap stickers on 'em? -
Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.
"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”
"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.”
"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."
"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov."
Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
@briankrebs they’ll probably just do the final assembly somewhere in the US then
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@anyia @raphaelmorgan @briankrebs There was a meme a while back that I can't find an image if but the alt text would be
A cable plugged into a Cisco router to protect from Russian spyware goes into a Mikrotik router to protect from Chinese spyware and a cable goes from the Mikrotik to a D-Link router to protect from American spyware.
(There may have been a fortigate in the original image, but that would just be too funny and tragic.)
@linuxandyarn @anyia @raphaelmorgan @briankrebs Looks like one of those — sorry no alt text since your own post is basically it
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Yeah, I keep glazing over the extortion angle in all this. You gotta love those public private partnerships.
@GhostOnTheHalfShell @SeanPLynch @briankrebs My first thought was "did Don Jr just incorporate 'Trump Routers'?"
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@GhostOnTheHalfShell @SeanPLynch @briankrebs My first thought was "did Don Jr just incorporate 'Trump Routers'?"
@rpardee @SeanPLynch @briankrebs
STOP.
(oh my God it just gets worse and worse, doesn’t it?)Yeah, I can imagine some future Trump branded router. You take it out of its box and it’s obviously been opened in the packaging is kind of been tampered with and then there’s like white dust and greasy fingerprints all over it.
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Whoa, that escalated quickly. This just got sent out by the press folks at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC says it has decided that all foreign-made consumer-grade Internet routers are henceforth prohibited from receiving FCC authorization and are therefore prohibited from being imported for use or sale in the United States.
"Update Follows Determination by Executive Branch Agencies that Consumer-Grade Routers Produced in Foreign Countries Threaten National Security
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2026—Today, the Federal Communications Commission updated its Covered List to include all consumer-grade routers produced in foreign countries. Routers are the boxes in every home that connect computers, phones, and smart devices to the internet. This followed a determination by a White House-convened Executive Branch interagency body with appropriate national security expertise that such routers “pose unacceptable risks to the national security of the United States or the safety and security of United States persons.”
"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.”
"This action does not affect any previously-purchased consumer-grade routers. Consumers can continue to use any router they have already lawfully purchased or acquired."
"Producers of consumer-grade routers that receive Conditional Approval from DoW or DHS can continue to receive FCC equipment authorizations. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit applications to conditional-approvals@fcc.gov."
Not sure how many consumer-grade routers will be left for sale if it really is a ban on approvals for any foreign-made consumer routers like they said, and not just a bunch of already restricted Chinese makers like Huawei and ZTE.
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-updates-covered-list-include-foreign-made-consumer-routers
FCC's "covered list" of "thou shalt not entities": https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist
@briankrebs there are no fucking US router makers what the fuck
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@briankrebs ok so go buy a cisco router for 2000 dollars now for your home. But wait, where is it manufactured? outside the US... I frankly dont know any router which is completely made in the US ONLY. This is the dumbest ruling ever. It will isolate the US from the world (if not someone else would not have already taken care of that).
Yes. Isolation might even be the point.
Easy to hide movement or oddities when these actions can not quickly be reported and communicated.
How dependent on routers is the midterm elections?
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@briankrebs The text version says previously-approved models are still approved. ***Asterisks*** added to point out the relevant section.
What the actual fuck, team shitstain?
"As outlined below, today’s action does not impact a consumer’s continued use of routers they previously acquired. ***Nor does it prevent retailers from continuing to sell, import, or market router models approved previously through the FCC’s equipment authorization process. By operation of the FCC’s Covered List rules, the restrictions imposed today apply to new device models."***
eta link:
https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-420034A1.txt
eta emphasis: THIS DOES NOT MAKE THIS RULING OKAY. It just means routers don't immediately disappear from shelves.
@briankrebs This text is also in the PDF version News Release, I'm not opening a Microsoft Word document to check that version. But it's not in just one edition.
