US Announces Program to Identify Safe Smart Devices
2023-07-20
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1The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has announced a new program to identify smart devices that are better equipped to resist internet attacks.
2The effort is designed to help the public decide which devices in the marketplace carry the best protection against possible cyberattacks.
3The program will issue a "U.S. Cyber Trust Mark" to the most protected devices, the administration said in a statement Tuesday.
4The effort will be carried out by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
5"The goal of the program is to provide tools for consumers to make informed decisions about the relative security of products they choose to bring into their homes," the statement added.
6FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel explained the program would cover a wide range of smart devices including climate control systems, televisions, microwaves and fitness trackers.
7Such devices are part of the "internet of things," which officials warn could present increased cybersecurity threats.
8Several manufacturers have voluntarily agreed "to increase cybersecurity for the products they sell," the Biden administration said.
9These companies include Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics USA, Logitech and Samsung Electronics.
10The FCC is expected to seek public comment on the program before giving its final approval and officially launching it.
11Officials said the public should start seeing product identifications, or labels, sometime in 2024.
12The safety level of products is to be rated by quality requirements, or standards, created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
13These guidelines call for products to require unique and strong passwords, data protection measures and software improvements.
14In addition, the devices should have built-in tools to identify when cyberattacks are attempted.
15The effort will be similar to the Energy Star program, which currently labels products to show that they save energy.
16Labeled devices would also include QR codes to provide additional information to consumers.
17Officials said the products will be reexamined yearly to make sure they meet requirements.
18In March, the Biden administration launched a national cyber campaign.
19The campaign called on software manufacturers and companies to increase efforts to protect their products against cyberattacks.
20The increase of smart devices on the market has happened as the number of cybercrimes has increased.
21Internet attacks on personal devices can give criminals a way into home computer networks.
22The amount of dangerous software aimed at internet-of-things devices rose sharply in 2022, cybersecurity company SonicWall has estimated.
23Many of the attacks happened in North America.
24The FCC's Rosenworcel said consumers can now "have peace of mind that the products that they're bringing into their homes adhere to widely accepted security and privacy standards."
25An April report from cybersecurity company Bitdefender estimated the least secure devices were smart televisions, followed by smart plugs, routers and digital video recorders.
26Internationally, the U.S. Department of State will seek to persuade allies and partners to cooperate to establish similar labeling efforts, the White House statement said.
27I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has announced a new program to identify smart devices that are better equipped to resist internet attacks. 2The effort is designed to help the public decide which devices in the marketplace carry the best protection against possible cyberattacks. 3The program will issue a "U.S. Cyber Trust Mark" to the most protected devices, the administration said in a statement Tuesday. The effort will be carried out by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). 4"The goal of the program is to provide tools for consumers to make informed decisions about the relative security of products they choose to bring into their homes," the statement added. 5FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel explained the program would cover a wide range of smart devices including climate control systems, televisions, microwaves and fitness trackers. Such devices are part of the "internet of things," which officials warn could present increased cybersecurity threats. 6Several manufacturers have voluntarily agreed "to increase cybersecurity for the products they sell," the Biden administration said. These companies include Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics USA, Logitech and Samsung Electronics. 7The FCC is expected to seek public comment on the program before giving its final approval and officially launching it. Officials said the public should start seeing product identifications, or labels, sometime in 2024. 8The safety level of products is to be rated by quality requirements, or standards, created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. These guidelines call for products to require unique and strong passwords, data protection measures and software improvements. In addition, the devices should have built-in tools to identify when cyberattacks are attempted. 9The effort will be similar to the Energy Star program, which currently labels products to show that they save energy. Labeled devices would also include QR codes to provide additional information to consumers. Officials said the products will be reexamined yearly to make sure they meet requirements. 10In March, the Biden administration launched a national cyber campaign. The campaign called on software manufacturers and companies to increase efforts to protect their products against cyberattacks. 11The increase of smart devices on the market has happened as the number of cybercrimes has increased. Internet attacks on personal devices can give criminals a way into home computer networks. 12The amount of dangerous software aimed at internet-of-things devices rose sharply in 2022, cybersecurity company SonicWall has estimated. Many of the attacks happened in North America. 13The FCC's Rosenworcel said consumers can now "have peace of mind that the products that they're bringing into their homes adhere to widely accepted security and privacy standards." 14An April report from cybersecurity company Bitdefender estimated the least secure devices were smart televisions, followed by smart plugs, routers and digital video recorders. 15Internationally, the U.S. Department of State will seek to persuade allies and partners to cooperate to establish similar labeling efforts, the White House statement said. 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17Bryan Lynn wrote this story based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse and the White House. 18____________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20cyberattack - n. an internet attack against a computer network or electronic device 21consumer - n. someone who buys or uses goods or services 22tracker - n. an electronic device or piece of software that records information about your physical activity 23QR code - n. a symbol printed on something that can be read some devices to provide additional information to the device user 24adhere - v. to keep firmly to a particular position 25plug - n. a small piece of plastic or rubber with metal pins that is used to connect electronic devices to power openings in the wall 26router - n. a piece of electronic equipment that connects computer networks to each other and also sends information between networks 27What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 28Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.