Finland has become the first European country to issue cybersecurity labels to networking smart devices.
The new labeling system was announced yesterday by Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. IoT devices that bear a cybersecurity label are guaranteed to have basic information security features.
By introducing the labeling system, Traficom aims to raise consumer awareness of information security and the safe use of connected devices.
Labels are only awarded to networking smart devices that meet certification criteria based on EN 303 645, a document outlining security specifications for IoT devices that was created by ETSI, the European standards agency.
“The security level of devices in the market varies, and until now there has been no easy way for consumers to know which products are safe and which are not," said National Cyber Security Centre Finland (NCSC-FI) director Jarkko Saarimäki yesterday.
"The Cybersecurity label launched today is a tool that makes purchase decisions easier by helping consumers identify devices that are sufficiently secure."
Plans to create the cybersecurity label date back to late 2018, when it was developed as a pilot project led by the NCSC-FI in collaboration with Cozify Oy, DNA Plc, and Polar Electro Oy.
The first cybersecurity labels have now been awarded to the Cozify Hub for smart homes, DNA’s Wattinen smart heating system, and the Polar Ignite fitness smartwatch.
Basic information about the cybersecurity label and how businesses can apply for it can be found on the new website tietoturvamerkki.fi. On the website also is a list of all products that have been awarded with a label to date.
Research conducted by IRO Research Oy on behalf of Traficom suggests that there will be an appetite for the new cybersecurity label in Finland.
In the fall of 2019, IRO Research Oy carried out a consumer survey to gauge the opinion of the Finnish general public regarding the cybersecurity of IoT devices.
A total of 1,000 Finns aged 15 or older were interviewed, all of whom said that they were concerned about the information security of smart devices.
Two of every three respondents said that it is very important for there to be easy-to-understand information available on the information security of devices.