Weak Passwords Might Become Illegal

The Internet of Things is one of the most interesting technological movements since the rise of the cell phone. The ability to add massive amounts of functionality to everyday household fixtures such as lights, thermostats, doorbells or refrigerators, as well as the ability to control them remotely has allowed many people to completely transform the way they go about their day to day life.

Despite how convenient these devices are, most users never take the time to run updates, change the default passwords, or change the settings of their IOT devices. At the same time, most IOT companies do not make the default settings the most secure ones, so many IOT devices are left exposed as easy targets for cybercriminals.

A law that is circulating in the UK parliament would make it illegal for companies to ship devices out with weak default passwords, among other consumer protection guidelines. This would prevent manufacturers from reusing the same default password across devices, as well as making the standards for the default passwords far stricter. While it might not happen right away, we should expect this type of legislation to hit the U.S. in the future as the market for IOT devices continues to expand.

The main article talks a lot about the risks involved with insecure IOT devices. To learn more about this legislation as well as the security flaws that many IOT devices have, check out the article on Forbes.