The UK government announces plans for new cybersecurity laws to protect people from cyberattacks. According to new research commissioned by the UK government, almost half (49%) of UK residents have purchased at least one smart device since the coronavirus pandemic began. Smart devices, which make up a large part of our daily lives, have created the need for new cybersecurity laws due to cyber threats.

The laws planned to protect people against these cyber threats:

• Customers will be informed by the device manufacturers at the point of sale about the length of time a smart device will receive security software updates. Security updates are a very important tool to protect people against cybercriminals. This law will help prevent users from using an older device whose security could be outdated.

• Manufacturers using default passwords that are preset in the factory settings of a device and easily guessed, such as password or administrator will be banned. The government continues to regularly update apps and software to help people change default passwords and protect their devices from cybercriminals.
 

• Manufacturers will provide a public point of contact to make it easier for anyone to report a vulnerability. According to the UK governments press release, only one in five global manufacturers has a mechanism that allows security researchers to report vulnerabilities. This law has been supported by some of the world’s biggest tech companies including Google, Amazon and Facebook.

The legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Resource:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-cyber-security-laws-to-protect-smart-devices-amid-pandemic-sales-surge