Priya Patel
TLDR:
- Chinese devices in the U.S. have increased by 41% in the past year, despite cybersecurity concerns.
- Forescout data shows approximately 300,000 Chinese devices from 473 vendors were in U.S. networks in February 2024.
Despite efforts to contain the prevalence of Chinese-manufactured devices, their use continues to grow in the United States. In the 12-month trailing February 2024, Chinese devices grew by 41%, with some industries, including critical infrastructure ones, doubling the number of China-made devices in the past year. Chinese devices are perceived with serious cybersecurity risks. The U.S. government’s efforts to limit the number of China-made devices through cybersecurity evaluations of shipping cranes, connected cars, and battery energy storage systems aren’t resonating well with the rest of the country. According to cyber risk management company Forescout, approximately 300,000 Chinese-manufactured devices from 473 vendors were in U.S. networks in February 2024. This is 41% more than the 185,000 devices that existed a year ago. The surge also corresponds to an increase in percentage terms, from 2.71% in February 2023 to 3.83% in February 2024.
While IT devices decreased marginally in the trailing 12 months, the number of extended IoT (XIoT) devices from China increased. The ban on popular China-based companies like Huawei has not stopped the rise of Chinese devices, with Lenovo topping the list. Hikvision devices remain popular despite being banned by the FCC. The technology sector is the third-biggest user of Chinese devices in the U.S., behind healthcare and manufacturing. The prevalence of Chinese devices in various sectors fluctuates, with some industries experiencing significant increases in Chinese device use.
