New laws to stop smart tech being hacked online

New laws are being developed by the government in order to ensure manufacturers stop their smart tech from being hacked online

We have heard many reported concerns, recently and now it has been raised that many current internet enabled gadgets are lacking in basic security features.

Toy Dolls & Internet Ovens

Vulnerabilities aren’t just found in your phone or with your smart CCTV, it actually stretches to many gadgets currently on the market.

It seems the decision has been made following consultation between GCHQ, retailers, academics and the manufacturers themselves.

If the new laws were to be put in place manufacturers would have to:

  • Ensure all internet-enabled devices had a unique password
  • Provide a public point of contact so anyone could report a vulnerability
  • State the minimum length of time a device would receive security updates
  • Digital Minister Matt Warman said he wanted to make the UK the safest place to be online

“Our new law will hold firms manufacturing and selling internet-connected devices to account and stop hackers threatening people’s privacy and safety,”

He then went on to say, “It will mean robust security standards are built in from the design stage and not bolted on as an afterthought.”

Statista has said there will be over 75 billion internet gadgets in the world by 2025, so keeping us secure will be imperative, but are the laws too late, as we know a young girl has been spied on by a stranger using the Ring system owned by Amazon already this year, among countless other occasions.

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