WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House is partnering with major retailers to try to improve cybersecurity for smart products we buy and use every day.
This includes appliances like smart TVs, fitness trackers, smart washing machines, and heating and AC control systems.
The Biden administration said the goal is to make your smart devices less vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Officials plan to do this with new labeling and cybersecurity certification for products called the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program.
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“We’ve heard again and again from consumers, they want to buy secure, and we’ve heard from companies that they recognized that there was a market, but they didn’t they had a hard time differentiating their products,” said Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology at the White House.
The White House hopes to have the program up and running by next year. Currently, officials are designing a new distinct shield logo.
They say it will be placed on electronics that meet cybersecurity standards established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This includes requiring unique and strong default passwords, data protection, and software updates.
“Giving Americans the peace of mind to that when they’re bringing in a product that has the label, they can feel confident it’s more secure,” said Neuberger. “That the company will maintain it push patches of new vulnerabilities are found is really the goal of the program.”
There are also several retailers and manufacturers announcing voluntary commitments to improve their own products. This includes brands like Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics U.S.A., Logitech, and Samsung Electronics.
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“Even if we get this up and running in 2024, what do you do with those tens of millions of devices that could be could still be vulnerable? So, there’s this update question that we have to answer,” said Curt Dukes, executive vice president at the Center for Internet Security.
Dukes want to know how this plan will impact existing products already in our homes.
“If there’s a software update, [will they] actually download and download the software update and actually install it, that’s a problem we still have as a society,” he said.
Dukes believes these additional safety requirements will also come at a cost.
“The vendor is not just going to eat that cost. They’re going to pass it along to the consumer,” said Dukes.
White House officials say they will also use a QR code that links to a national registry of certified devices. The Federal Communications Commission is applying to register a national trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that would be used for products in this program.
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