All IoT device default passwords shall be unique per device and users are required to choose a password that follows best practices, read the Code of Practice for Securing Consumer Internet of Things (IoT) released by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC). The document advised that the passwords must not be resettable to any universal default value. TEC, which falls under the Ministry of Communications, explained that the document looks to provide baseline requirements as a basis for the implementation of recommendations received from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, and National Digital Communication Policy, including the ETSI TS 103 645 which deals with Cyber Security for Consumer Internet of Things. “There may be 26.4 billion IoT devices by 2026 globally. It has been projected that there would be around 11.4 billion consumer IoT devices and 13.3 billion enterprise IoT devices globally by 2025 i.e. consumer IoT devices would account for nearly 45% of all the IoT devices.” read the document. TEC also revealed that it has been working on security by design principles and National Trust Centre (NTC) for IoT in a multi-stakeholder group and the draft document is under development. IoT is used to create smart infrastructure in various verticals such as Power Sector, Automotive, Safety & Surveillance, Remote Health Management, Agriculture, Smart Homes, and Smart Cities, etc. Why this matters: The hacking of the devices/networks can have serious implications as they are used in daily life and would harm individuals, organisations, and countries. IoT cyberattacks more than doubled year-on-year during the…
