Common and easily guessed passwords will soon be banned in the UK under new laws in a bid to crackdown on cyber attacks.
The world-first laws came into action today (Monday, 29 April), the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said, which means all small devices will be required to meet minimum security standards going forward.
Manufacturers of technology such as phones, TVs, smart doorbells and more will now legally be required to protect internet-connected devices against cybercriminals.
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Users will be prompted to change any common or easily guessed passwords on creation of a new account, with companies required to implement minimum security standards.
Manufacturers will also be expected to publish contact details to bugs so issues can be reported, with consumers given a minimum time they can expert to receive security updates.
The UK is the first country in the world to implement the new laws, which come after new studies revealed the huge risk consumers and businesses are under from hackers, which is only continuing to increase.
A home filled with smart devices could be exposed to over 12,000 hacking attacks from across the globe in one week, with 2,684 attempts to guess 'weak' passwords on five devices, according to an investigation conducted by Which?
It's hoped that the new measures will allow consumers to feel more confident when purchasing smart devices, as the risk of cyberattacks continues to grow and become more common among both consumers and businesses.
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The science and technology minister, Jonathan Berry, said: “As everyday life becomes increasingly dependent on connected devices, the threats generated by the internet multiply and become even greater.
“From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind that their smart devices are protected from cybercriminals, as we introduce world-first laws that will make sure their personal privacy, data and finances are safe.
"We are committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and these new regulations mark a significant leap towards a more secure digital world.”
Tech that comes with weak passwords, such as 'admin' or '12345', will now be banned, meaning certain easily guessed passwords will no longer be in use.
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NordPass, a password managing website, found the most commonly used passwords in the UK last year were 123456 and 'password', with others including 'abc123' and 'Arsenal'.
Top 10 most commonly used passwords in UK in 2023:
- 123456
- password
- qwerty
- liverpool
- 123456789
- arsenal
- 12345678
- 12345
- abc123
- chelsea
Topics: Technology