Common, easy-to-guess passwords such as ‘admin’ or ‘12345’ are being banned in the UK as part of the world’s first laws to protect against cyber attacks.
Just like default passwords, if a user suggests a common password, they will be prompted to change it when creating a new account.
It turns out that a house full of smart devices could be exposed to more than 12,000 attacks from hackers from around the world in a single week, with 2,684 attempts to guess weak passwords across five devices, according to an investigation by Which?
Password management website NordPass found that the most used passwords in the UK last year were 123456 and, believe it or not, password.
The new measures come into force in the UK on Monday, making it the first country in the world to introduce the laws.
They are part of the Product and Telecommunications Security Infrastructure (PSTI) regime – designed to improve the UK’s resilience against cyber-attacks and ensure that malign interference does not impact the global economy and the wider UK.
According to the law, manufacturers of all Internet-connected devices – from cell phones, smart doorbells and even high-tech refrigerators – will be required to implement minimum security standards.
They will also have to publish contact details so that bugs and issues can be reported and resolved and inform consumers of the minimum time they can wait to receive important security updates.
“As everyday life becomes increasingly dependent on connected devices, the threats generated by the Internet multiply and become even greater,” said Minister for Science and Technology, Viscount Camrose.
“From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind knowing their smart devices are protected from cyber criminals. We are committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and these new regulations mark a significant leap forward to a safer digital world.
According to recent figures, 99% of UK adults own at least one smart device and UK households have an average of nine connected devices.
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Another 57% of households have a smart TV, 53% have a voice assistant and 49% have a smart watch or fitness band.
Copper Horse – a company that provides mobile phone software and security expertise to a range of customers – has flagged webcam products as “weak and insecure” and are “trivial to hack and acquire”.
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The new measures aim to increase consumer confidence in the safety of the products they use and buy.
It is part of the government’s £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy to protect and promote the UK online.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
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