The potential ban on TP-Link products is part of a broader effort by the U.S. to scrutinize Chinese technology companies over security risks. Previous actions have targeted giants like Huawei and ZTE, which were accused of posing threats to national security through their telecommunications equipment.

While the US government is investigating TP-Link, there's no evidence that it is willfully leaving its SOHO routers open to manipulation by threat actors, or that it is actively allowing the PRC to make use of vulnerabilities. However, its efforts or capabilities to secure its hardware against this kind of manipulation don't do it any favors.

Some of the world's most popular router and modem models have been connected to several high-profile hacking incidents. (Also, they're made in China.)

The U.S. is probing whether popular home internet routers sold by China’s TP-Link Technologies threaten national security and considering whether they should be banned, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, after Microsoft linked the devices to a Chinese hacking group.

Security concerns over a network equipment manufacturer that controls more than 60 per cent of the US market for home internet routers.

The U.S. is considering banning the sale of TP-Link internet routers, which are made in China, over concerns the home devices pose a security risk, the Wall Street Journal reported.