US in huge counterfeit hardware bust

The US Department of Homeland Security has seized a huge collection of counterfeit IT equipment.

Customs officials uncovered more than 420,000 pieces of networking equipment and hardware components between May and June.

Many of the networking components were generic equipment which had been stamped with brand-name logos. Officials also seized a number of counterfeited integrated circuits destined for use in computing devices.

In total, the department estimates that it seized some US$1.3m (£868,000) worth of equipment from 11 different US ports of entry. If the kit had made it into the retail market, sellers could have generated up to US$3.5m (£2.33m) in revenues.

"Like other counterfeit products, counterfeit network hardware and integrated circuits are not built to the standards of genuine equipment," said Daniel Baldwin, an assistant commissioner for the US Customs and Border Patrol's Office of International Trade.

"These products have a higher failure rate than genuine equipment, and often fail on installation, or weeks or months after installation.

"One threat that these fake products pose is that when they fail, the entire system in which they are embedded can also fail, crippling vital infrastructure and products on which we depend."