ROUTERS Act Update: What Houston Businesses Need to Know About This Cybersecurity Legislation
Is Your Router a National Security Risk? What the ROUTERS Act Means for Your Business
ROUTERS Act Update: What Houston Businesses Need to Know About This Cybersecurity Legislation
The Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act has moved one step closer to becoming law. On April 8, 2025, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced this bipartisan legislation to the full House of Representatives for consideration. The bill, introduced by Representatives Bob Latta (R-OH) and Robin Kelly (D-IL), previously passed the House in the last Congress but did not become law.
What Is the ROUTERS Act?
The ROUTERS Act would require the Commerce Department’s assistant secretary for communications and information to oversee a study into network devices that are “designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied” by or subject to the influence of countries considered adversaries of the United States.
Specifically, the two-page bill calls for examining devices like routers and modems (including combination devices) developed, manufactured, or supplied by entities controlled by or subject to the influence of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
An amendment to the bill introduced by Rep. Kelly would expand the study to include cybersecurity vulnerabilities as part of the Commerce Department’s examination. This amendment aligns with a similar change made to the Senate companion bill introduced in January by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), which was favorably reported out of the Senate Commerce Committee last month.
Why This Legislation Matters
Routers have become an increasingly popular target for threat actors in recent years. For example, the Chinese-backed Volt Typhoon campaign leveraged privately owned Cisco and NetGear routers infected with malware to conceal targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure, while the Salt Typhoon attack targeted American telecom networks via Cisco devices.
As Rep. Kelly noted during the markup session, while closing the digital divide remains a critical priority, precautions must be taken to “protect the privacy and security of those millions of Americans who rely on the internet to accomplish critical everyday tasks like online banking, educational purposes, remote sensing and monitoring, and more leisure activities like shopping and streaming.”
The legislation aims to safeguard Americans’ communications networks from foreign-adversary controlled technology that could pose national security risks.
The Importance of Having a Trusted IT Advisor
Legislation like the ROUTERS Act highlights the complex intersection of technology, security, and regulatory compliance that businesses must navigate. Having a trusted IT advisor like CinchOps to monitor and interpret these developments is crucial for several reasons:
- Regulatory Compliance: As new laws and regulations are enacted, businesses need to understand how these changes affect their operations and what steps they need to take to remain compliant.
- Security Risk Management: Understanding potential threats from compromised network devices allows businesses to make informed decisions about their IT infrastructure.
- Strategic Planning: Anticipating regulatory changes helps businesses plan their technology investments wisely, avoiding costly replacements or retrofits down the road.
How CinchOps Can Help Secure Your Business
At CinchOps, we stay ahead of legislative developments like the ROUTERS Act to ensure your business remains secure and compliant. Our services include:
- Network Security Assessments: We evaluate your current network infrastructure to identify any potentially vulnerable devices from countries of concern.
- Hardware Inventory Management: We maintain detailed records of your network devices, including country of origin information, making compliance reporting seamless.
- Secure Procurement Guidance: We help you source network equipment from trusted vendors and manufacturers, reducing your exposure to security risks.
- Regulatory Compliance Support: We keep you informed about new legislation that may impact your IT operations and help you implement necessary changes.
- Cybersecurity Monitoring: We provide continuous monitoring of your network for suspicious activities that might indicate a compromised device.
Don’t wait for legislation to pass before securing your network. Contact CinchOps today for a comprehensive assessment of your network security posture and learn how we can help protect your business from emerging threats.
Discover More
Discover more about our enterprise-grade and business protecting cybersecurity services on our Cybersecurity page.
Discover more in our update: ROUTERS Act Reintroduced
For Additional Information on this topic, check out: Bill to Study National Security Risks in Routers Passes House Committee
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