Exclusive: Presence of China-manufactured tech on U.S. networks continues to grow
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The number of Chinese-manufactured internet-connected devices on U.S. corporate networks continues to grow despite Washington's attempts to curb their presence, according to a report out Tuesday shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: As tensions between the U.S. and China rise, officials have grown wary of the Chinese government's ability to tap its manufacturers operating within its borders to collect information about American users and businesses.
By the numbers: In the last year, the number of internet-connected devices made by Chinese companies on U.S. enterprise networks grew 41%, according to a new report from Forescout.
- Researchers estimate there were close to 300,000 devices from 473 Chinese manufacturers operating on U.S. networks as of February — accounting for 3.8% of all internet-connected devices.
- That's up from the 185,000 devices researchers spotted in February 2023.
Zoom in: To find these devices, researchers first identified more than 5,000 device vendors tied to Chinese addresses who are registered in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' Organizationally Unique Identifier database — which assigns a globally recognized identification number to all manufacturers.
- From there, researchers searched Forescout's repository of connected enterprise devices for any who were tied to digital addresses assigned to those vendors.
- Vendors on the list include well-known names like smart-home device manufacturer Xiaomi and surveillance camera maker Hikvision.
Driving the news: The Biden administration has launched several initiatives in recent years aimed at curbing the security risks tied to Chinese manufacturers.
- In February, the Commerce Department launched a security probe into internet-connected vehicles from Chinese automakers.
- The president also signed an executive order that month directing the Coast Guard to create new cybersecurity requirements for China-owned and -manufactured cranes in the U.S.
- The White House has also been supporting a bill in Congress aimed at forcing ByteDance to divest its share in popular social media platform TikTok.
Between the lines: Nearly 60% of the internet-connected devices Forescout identified are computers or mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets.
- Surveillance equipment accounted for 4% of the devices, video conferencing tools made up 4%, and internet networking equipment was 2%.
The intrigue: Chinese-manufactured devices also have a significant presence on U.S. government networks, per the report.
- Forescout's analysis identified 21,842 such devices on networks tied to government organizations.
- About 2,500 of those devices — or 11.5% — were cameras and surveillance equipment made in China for international conglomerate Honeywell.
