Internet-enabled home appliances should carry cybersecurity warnings, says UK police chief
Internet-enabled home appliances should carry cybersecurity ratings, similar to those for energy efficiency, a leading UK police chief has claimed.
According to a report in UK newspaper The Guardian, Durham’s chief constable Mike Barton said new technology within the home, and the internet of things, mean consumers are more at risk from fraud and hackers. Consumers should be fully informed of the additional cyber risks when buying internet-enabled appliances such as televisions, fridges and freezers, he said.
He called for internet security tests and standard ratings for appliances to inform consumers of their cyber risk.
Mr Barton told The Guardian: “Whenever you go into a store now you see fridges and it’s A down to F in terms of its energy efficiency. Where are the security ratings?
“You’ve got a situation where we don’t know what the security is like in the devices we are buying in the internet of things. It’s just not reported. And yet that is the most significant component of what it is you are buying.”
Forecasts suggest that as many as 21 billion connected devices will be active by 2020 and the increasing range of internet-ready appliances will bring new cyber risks. Warnings have already been given about how hackers could access personal data held on smartphones, watches and fitness trackers.
