The FCC’s crackdown on foreign-made routers is in full swing, though one of the US’ biggest companies just got conditional approval to keep its hardware on shelves, all while bringing in new ones.
The company I’m talking about is Amazon, and it has just gained FCC approval to keep selling its eero and Leo routers in the US.
It’s worth noting that even though Amazon is a US-based company, the FCC’s ruling still applied. That’s mainly because Amazon’s routers aren’t made in the US.
Here’s the explanation the FCC gave at the time of the initial ruling:
Recently, malicious state and non-state sponsored cyber attackers have increasingly leveraged the vulnerabilities in small and home office routers produced abroad to carry out direct attacks against American civilians in their homes. From disrupting network connectivity to enabling local networking espionage and intellectual property theft, foreign-produced routers present unacceptable risks to Americans. Additionally, routers produced abroad were directly implicated in the Volt, Flax, and Salt Typhoon cyberattacks which targeted critical American communications, energy, transportation, and water infrastructure. Routers in the United States must have trusted supply chains so we are not providing foreign actors with a built-in backdoor to American homes, businesses, critical infrastructure, and emergency services.
When initially announced, the FCC said that US-based companies could be granted a conditional approval by the DoW (Department of War) or the DHS (Department of Homeland Security), and Amazon has secured just that (via Android Authority).
With the development, eero and Leo routers join Netgear and Adtran.
October 31, 2027, is the current ‘expiration date’ for the eero and Leo router approvals. Expect Amazon to renew the approval as it approaches the deadline.
If you already own an eero or Leo router, or are planning to buy one, you’re in the clear. The FCC has determined that said routers, including the eero Pro, eero Max, eero PoE, eero Outdoor, eero Signal, and others, do not pose a security risk.
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