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Govt introduces new law to protect connected devices

Published on: 7 Feb 2020

Digital minister Matt Warman and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport have announced a raft of new measures aimed at protecting users of internet-connected devices from the threat of cyber attack.

Under the law, all consumer smart devices sold in the UK must adhere to three strict security requirements, which are:

  • Having unique passwords that are not resettable to a universal factory setting
  • Providing a point of contact for users to report vulnerabilities for immediate action
  • Stating the amount of time from the point of sale that devices will continue to receive security updates

"Our new law will hold firms manufacturing and selling internet-connected devices to account and stop hackers threatening people's privacy and safety," Mr Warman said.

It is estimated there will be 75 billion internet-connected devices around the world by 2025.

The news comes in the wake of a host of reports in the media on how people's devices have been hacked, with many contacted in their own homes by cyber criminals.