The seal of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seen before an FCC meeting to vote on net neutrality in Washington, Dec. 14, 2017. The Biden administration and major consumer tech players are launching 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 liken the new "U.S. Cyber Trust Mark" initiative to the Energy Star program that rates appliances' energy efficiency. It will be overseen by the Federal Communications Commission. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
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 new U.S. Cyber Trust Mark initiative — to be overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, with industry participation voluntary — to the Energy Star program, which rates appliances’ energy efficiency.
“It will allow Americans to confidently identify which internet- and Bluetooth-connected devices are cybersecure,” deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters in a pre-announcement briefing.
Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics USA, Logitech and Samsung as 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’s cybersecurity requirements will bear the “Cyber Trust” label, a shield logo, as early as next year, officials said.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the mark will give consumers “peace of mind” and benefit manufacturers, whose products would need to adhere to criteria set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology 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, the Consumer Technology Association said consumers could expect to see certification-ready products at the industry’s annual January show, CES 2024, 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 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’t 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.
Miami wants to be the crypto capital of the world. Mayor Francis Suarez has gone all in on the blockchain, even accepting one of his first paychecks in Bitcoin, hosting one of the world's largest digital cryptocurrency conferences, and marketing Miami as a great place for tech experts to work. Maja Vujinovic, managing director of OGroupLLC, joined Cheddar's Fast Forward to discuss Miami's enthusiasm toward crypto, some of the potential risks that entails, and where the city might be heading when it comes to the crypto takeover.
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On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: CEO of HereAfter AI discusses how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed; Creator of the board game 'Travel Explore Discover' explains how she came up with the idea for this informative and educational board game, and how she's using the proceeds to give back to her community; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'The Humboldt Current.'
James Vlahos, Co-Founder and CEO of HereAfter AI, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how artificial intelligence can be used to preserve family history and stories, and allow you to 'talk' to loved ones that have passed.
Facebook parent Meta’s miss on Q4 earnings raised alarm bells amongst investors. The tech giant lost users for the first time as it invests a lot into the metaverse, its virtual realm, in the hopes that consumers will move their social media consumption there. The stock dropped around 25 percent on the report, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg chalked it up to people flocking toward apps like TikTok, even as his own platform attempts to make a big pivot to the metaverse future. "It's gonna take a long time to develop and it's gonna take a long time to bring to fruition," Rebecca Walser, president of Walser Wealth Management told Cheddar. "In the meantime, the world is moving on. We have a very short attention span, especially on social media, and we want the short little videos. And Tiktok has just taken off."
Just this week, Facebook's parent company Meta released an update for its 3D avatar creation on Facebook and messenger. This update is encouraging users of Instagram to create their virtual selves, and it is an early step towards making the metaverse vision a reality. David Ewalt, editor-in-chief at Gizmodo joins Cheddar News to discuss.
