Ethical Hacking News
The state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against TP-Link, alleging that the company has misled consumers with "Made in Vietnam" claims despite China-dominated manufacturing and supply chains. The lawsuit accuses TP-Link of deceptively marketing its networking devices and alleges that its security practices and China-based affiliations allowed Chinese state-sponsored actors to access devices in the homes of American consumers.
Texas files a lawsuit against TP-Link Systems Inc. alleging deceptive marketing practices. The lawsuit accuses TP-Link of claiming products are "Made in Vietnam" despite being manufactured and supplied by China-based entities. The company is accused of allowing Chinese state-sponsored actors to access devices in American consumers' homes. The Texas Attorney General seeks an injunction to prevent TP-Link from making such claims and force the company to acknowledge its ties to China. The lawsuit also alleges that TP-Link misrepresents its security practices and collects personal data without informed consent.
In a recent development that has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, the state of Texas has filed a lawsuit against California-based networking device manufacturer TP-Link Systems Inc., alleging that the company has misled consumers with "Made in Vietnam" claims despite China-dominated manufacturing and supply chains. The lawsuit, which is part of a coordinated effort by the Office of the Attorney General to hold China accountable under Texas law, accuses TP-Link of deceptively marketing its networking devices and alleges that its security practices and China-based affiliations allowed Chinese state-sponsored actors to access devices in the homes of American consumers.
The Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, is seeking a jury trial for this case and wants an injunction to prevent TP-Link from claiming its products are "Made in Vietnam," and instead acknowledge that they are made in China. The Office of the Attorney General also wants the company to be forced to make clear its ties to China, and prevent it from collecting consumers' data without obtaining fully informed consent.
TP-Link's alleged misdeeds have significant implications for the tech industry, as the company is reportedly the dominant player in the US networking and smart home market, controlling 65 percent of the American market for network devices. This dominance has led to a situation where TP-Link can allegedly influence the types of security patches and firmware updates that are made available to its customers.
Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that TP-Link represents to American consumers that the devices it markets and sells within the US are manufactured in Vietnam, when in fact, they are manufactured and developed by Chinese subsidiaries owned and managed by the company. The petition claims that the facilities in Vietnam perform only final assembly, with the vast majority of components imported from China and Vietnam-sourced parts accounting for less than one percent of the devices' components.
In addition to its manufacturing practices, TP-Link has also been accused of falsely claiming that its devices are secure, despite security researchers and experts having reported on numerous and dangerous firmware vulnerabilities that Chinese state-sponsored hackers have exploited to access the devices. The Office of the Attorney General claims that TP-Link knows its products are insecure, and that Chinese state-sponsored hackers have taken advantage of these vulnerabilities.
The Texas lawsuit also alleges that TP-Link's mobile applications collect personal data from consumers while failing to obtain informed consent for this. This is significant, as Chinese national intelligence laws can require Chinese companies and citizens to support, assist, and cooperate with state intelligence work, the filing says, and it alleges that TP-Link's Chinese affiliations could obligate it to comply with such requests.
The Office of the Attorney General has stated that "TP-Link will face the full force of the law for putting Americans' security at risk. Let this serve as a clear warning to any Chinese entity seeking to compromise our nation's security."
TP-Link has not yet responded to this news, but it is likely that the company will face significant scrutiny in the coming weeks and months.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Texas-Sues-TP-Link-for-Alleged-China-Links-Security-Vulnerabilities-and-Misleading-Marketing-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/02/18/texas_sues_tplink_over_china/
https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/18/texas_sues_tplink_over_china/
https://www.pcmag.com/news/texas-sues-tp-link-over-web-of-deception-about-alleged-china-ties
Published: Thu Feb 19 06:19:20 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
