Singapore inks pact with Finland to mutually recognise IoT security labels
Year after it introduced a security labelling programme for consumer Internet of Things devices, Singapore has signed an agreement with Finland to recognise each nation's respective cybersecurity labels, touting it as the first such pact.
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Year after it introduced a security labelling programme for consumer Internet of Things devices, Singapore has signed an agreement with Finland to recognise each nation's respective cybersecurity labels, touting it as the first such pact.
Singapore and Finland have inked an agreement to mutually recognise each country's cybersecurity labels for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, aimed at helping consumers assess the level of security in such products. Touting it as the first of such bilateral recognition, Singapore says the partnership aims to reduce the need for duplicated testing.
The global pandemic had accelerated the pace of digitalisation as well as surfaced many uncertainties and challenges, driving governments and businesses to drive their digital transformation, said Singapore's Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information, Janil Puthucheary.
Dependence on IoT had increased as nations looked to transform into smart cities, fuelled by the need for connectivity and to tap data, said Puthucheary, who was speaking Wednesday at the Singapore International Cyber Week conference. He noted that the number of connected devices worldwide was projected to double to 50 billion devices in 2030, compared to 2018.
This growing adoption brought with it security risks that must be addressed, he said.
"Majority of consumer IoT devices are built and developed to optimise functionality and cost, usually at the expense of the security of the device. However, IoT security should not and cannot be an afterthought, but should be a key consideration and a design fundamental," he noted. "Without the requisite security in place, it leaves end users exposed to malicious cyber threat actors seeking to compromise the devices and this results in the loss of data. More importantly, privacy and trust."
