Buying from FS.com - Any feedback about safety?

Posted by Fallingdamage@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 8 comments

Doing some experimenting in my lab with cheap FS.com fiber accessories. Found FS.com site - lots of cheap stuff that seems to be as advertised. Lots of positive feedback about them. Basically "Its cheap stuff and not OEM but it works damn well" kind of feedback on reddit, stack, etc. I bought some cheap SFP+ modules and some fiber patch cables for my switches and later on got an email from FS.com sales rep introducing themselves, asking if I wouldnt mind sharing a bit about the equipment brands I use "to help better serve you in the future" and other stuff like that. It got me thinking. FS.com is a foreign company selling dirt-cheap network accessories and is now asking for feedback about my environment. Is there a chance these cheap SFP modules might contain microcode that could help Chinese threat actors gain a foothold into American networks? Knowing how SFP works, I dont see that being an easy feat, but smart people spend a lot of time thinking about stuff like this im sure. Everything I read seems positive, but in this day and age, would I be safer not using any off-brand knock-off accessories in my switches?