Consumer Reports Launches Effort to Create Security Standards for IoT Devices

Consumer Reports will create an open-source standard for manufacturers of internet connected devices.

Published: March 8, 2017Steve Karantzoulidis

Consumer Reports says it wants to "rate products on measures such as security, in much the same the way we currently assess products for physical safety and performance."

Consumer Reports along with several cyber experts will create an open-source industry standard to make connected devices safer.

In a time when routers, security cameras and almost anything connected to the Internet can be hacked, consumers have become hesitant when it comes to buying smart home technology.

“All kinds of products and services collect consumer data and rely on software to work,” says Maria Rerecich, director, electronics testing team, Consumer Reports. “But no one has defined how companies should build these products to really be good for consumers in terms of privacy and other issues.”

Consumer Reports wants to ease these worries by creating a new standard that it says will “safeguards consumers’ security and privacy.”

The goal is to help consumers understand which digital products do the most to protect their privacy and security and give them the most control over their personal data. This standard can also eventually be used by CR and others in developing test protocols to evaluate and rate products-which will help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.

Consumer Reports has been working with several partners and has taken a comprehensive approach, building on some of the best thinking that has gone into prior efforts. We think these standards address a real gap in the marketplace.

The standard will consist of the following fundamentals: