The Senate this week unanimously passed bipartisan legislation designed to boost the cybersecurity of internet-connected devices.
The Senate passes a bill that would require all internet-connected devices purchased by the US government to comply with NIST’s minimum security recommendations
The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act would require all internet-connected devices purchased by the federal government — such as computers and mobile devices — to comply with minimum security recommendations issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The bill would require private sector groups providing devices to the federal government to notify agencies if the internet-connected device has a vulnerability that could leave the government open to attacks.
The legislation, which the Senate advanced on Tuesday, was passed unanimously by the House in September. It now heads to President Trump for a signature.
“Most experts expect tens of billions of devices operating on our networks within the next several years as the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape continues to expand,” Gardner noted in a separate statement. “We need to make sure these devices are secure from malicious cyber-attacks as they continue to transform our society and add countless new entry points into our networks. Ensuring that our government has the capabilities and expertise to help navigate the impacts of the latest technology will be important in the coming years and decades.”
Source: Senate passes bill to secure internet-connected devices against cyber
