Four US states sue TP-Link over router security claims and China ties

Four US states—Florida, Iowa, Montana, and Nebraska—have filed lawsuits against TP-Link, accusing the router maker of misleading customers about device security and concealing its ties to China. The complaints target TP-Link's marketing claims of "100%" network protection, citing a 2023 vulnerability exploited by China-linked hackers to build a botnet that the FBI dismantled. The states also allege TP-Link's Vietnamese manufacturing claims are false, with only 0.5% of components sourced there. These lawsuits follow Texas's February action, while the Commerce Department considers a federal ban. TP-Link denies the allegations, and no backdoor has been publicly proven. The company remains widely sold in Europe.