F
HIGH RISK
One of TP-Link's highest-volume budget routers - and carries the same national security classification as every TP-Link product. The federal investigation is about TP-Link's corporate structure and Chinese legal jurisdiction, not any specific model.
- Volt Typhoon - TP-Link product line: Chinese state hackers used TP-Link routers as attack infrastructure against US military, government, and critical infrastructure networks. The product line - not specific models - was identified.
- Remote code execution: A 9.8-severity flaw in TP-Link's Archer web interface allowed unauthenticated remote code execution. Actively exploited before patch availability.
- Active federal investigation: The Department of Justice and FCC opened formal investigations into TP-Link in 2024. A forced divestiture or ban is under active consideration.
- Chinese National Intelligence Law: TP-Link is legally required to cooperate with PRC intelligence requests. This structural risk applies to all TP-Link products regardless of model generation.
FCC & Ban Risk
10
/100
F
Supply chain · FCC status · CVEs · Patch support
Security Capabilities
19
/100
F
Zero-Trust · VPN · Segmentation · Monitoring
🏭 Manufacturer
Chinese-owned
TP-Link Technologies Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China - subject to Chinese National Intelligence Law
Manufactured in: China
🛡️ Patch Support
Active (parent co. under investigation)
Whether security vulnerabilities are actively being patched
⚠️ Key Finding
critical
Volt Typhoon - TP-Link product line
Router Security Updates
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🔒
Security capabilities comparison
We benchmark your router against Rio Router across 8 dimensions so you can see exactly what gaps exist - and what a fully-covered setup looks like.
TP-LINK
your router
Rio Router™
full standard
Zero-Trust Device Admission
Every new device is blocked by default - admin must approve it once, even if it has the right password
Not available
Available
Network Segmentation (VLANs)
Devices on your network are isolated from each other, so a hacked smart TV can't reach your laptop
Partial
Available
Router-Level VPN for All Devices
All traffic - including smart devices that can't run VPN apps - is encrypted before leaving your home
Not available
Available
Domain Allowlisting
Block everything except approved sites; more effective than trying to blacklist billions of harmful URLs
Not available
Available
Granular Password Control
Separate passwords per network zone - changing one doesn't affect others
Partial
Available
Guest Auto-Expiry
Guest devices are automatically removed when they leave; neighbors can't reconnect without re-approval
Not available
Available
Clean Supply Chain
Manufactured outside Chinese legal jurisdiction - not subject to China's National Intelligence Law
Not available
Available
Active Threat Monitoring
DNS filtering, firewall, activity logs, and ongoing security patch support
Partial
Available
We use Rio Router as the benchmark because it’s the only consumer router built to score 8/8 on this framework - it shows you what a fully-covered setup looks like, not just what’s typical.
See Rio →
See all TP-Link models: TP-Link brand overview →
What you should do
1
Replace this router - especially for work, banking, or sensitive data
2
Update firmware immediately if keeping temporarily
3
Disable remote management
4
Change the default admin password
TP-Link is under active federal investigation.
See our replacement guide →
How this was scored · verified March 2026: This rating combines FCC authorization status, manufacturer legal jurisdiction, CVEs from NIST NVD, active patch support status, and CISA advisory mentions. See full methodology →
Reference Data
Known CVEs - TP-Link brand history
From the NIST National Vulnerability Database. Your specific model may or may not be affected.
Command injection via country form parameter. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) listed April 2023. Actively exploited in the wild.
Side-channel timing attack allows remote recovery of admin credentials - no authentication required.
Authenticated remote command execution via crafted HTTP request.
See all TP-Link CVEs: NIST NVD search →
Sources & evidence
All findings trace to publicly verifiable primary sources - US government databases, official FCC filings, and NIST CVE records. No proprietary or anonymous sources are used.
- CISA Advisory AA23-144A · 2023 ↗
- CVE-2023-1389 · CVSS 9.8 · NVD ↗
- FCC Equipment Authorization Database ↗
- FCC Covered List · National Security Designation ↗
Full data source documentation: Scoring Methodology & Citations →