WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 The Biden administration and major consumer technology players on Tuesday launched an effort to put a nationwide cybersecurity certification and labeling program in place to help consumers choose smart devices that are less vulnerable to hacking.
Officials likened the 鈥 to be overseen by , with industry participation voluntary 鈥 to the Energy Star program, which rates appliances鈥 energy efficiency.
鈥淚t will allow Americans to confidently identify which internet- and Bluetooth-connected devices are cybersecure,鈥 deputy national security adviser told reporters in a pre-announcement briefing.
Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics USA, Logitech and Samsung are among industry participants.
Devices including baby monitors, home security cameras, fitness trackers, TVs, refrigerators and smart climate control systems that meet the U.S. government鈥檚 cybersecurity requirements will bear the 鈥淐yber Trust鈥 label, a shield logo, as early as next year, officials said.
FCC Chairwoman said the mark will give consumers 鈥減eace of mind鈥 and benefit manufacturers, whose products would need to adhere to to qualify.
The FCC was launching a rule-making process to set the standards and seek public comment. Besides carrying logos, participating devices would have QR codes that could be scanned for updated security information.
In a statement, said consumers could expect to see certification-ready products at the industry鈥檚 annual January show, , once the FCC adopts final rules. A senior Biden administration official said it was expected that products that qualify for the logo would undergo an annual re-certification.
The director of technology policy at Consumer Reports, Justin Brookman, welcomed the White House proposal but cautioned that 鈥渁 long road remains鈥 to its effective adoption.
"Our hope is that this label will ignite a healthy sense of competition in the marketplace, compelling manufacturers to safeguard both the security and privacy of consumers who use connected devices and to commit to supporting those devices for the lifetime of those products.鈥
The Cyber Trust initiative was first announced in October following a meeting between White House and tech industry representatives.
The proliferation of so-called smart devices has coincided with growing cybercrime in which one insecure device can often give a cyberintruder a dangerous foothold on a home network.
An April report from the cybersecurity firm Bitdefender and networking equipment company NetGear, based on their monitoring of smart homes, found that the most vulnerable devices in 2022 were, far and away, smart TVs, followed by smart plugs, routers and digital video recorders.
Providers of numerous smart home devices often don鈥檛 update and patch software fast enough to thwart newly emerging malware threats. The Cyber Mark standards are expected to make clear which devices patch vulnerable software in a timely fashion and secure their communications to preserve privacy, officials said. Also important will be informing consumers which devices are equipped to detect intrusions.
