UK encourages manufacturers to implement cybersecurity

The United Kingdom has joined with its international partnerships in distributing new guidance to aid technology manufacturers in putting security at their design core when developing new products.

With this, the National Cyber Security Centre has offered a new joint guide with agencies from all over the world, including Australia, Germany and Canada, whereby software manufacturers are being encouraged to input secure-by-design principles into their products to help keep their consumers safe in the digital world.

Customers can be at risk of malicious cyber attacks or intrusion of safety on devices or products where their security design has been treated as an additional technical feature. Which demonstrates the importance of inputting a secure-by-design principle into these devices.

A shared effort amongst countries to reduce the cyber security risk to consumers is vital. This can be done by providing manufacturers with a guide of actionable processes which they can take to help put security as a priority in their products and reduce cyber security vulnerabilities in these devices.

Manufacturers have been recommended to follow the guide’s instructions carefully. These instructions include a variety of methods for engaging leaders with security principles as well as practical steps to eliminate default passwords.

Advice is also being dished out to companies to assist them in holding their technology suppliers accountable for any cyber security attacks and encouraging more collaboration within the industry to incentivise secure-by-design manufacturing of technology.

In 2023, our lives are becoming more digital than ever before which is why technology products need to be designed in the most security-effective and safest way, to protect ourselves from cyber-attacks.

However, the conversation around security standards should not stop here, as there needs to be more effort put in to protect consumers against the burden of cyber security risks. This responsibility needs to be put on the manufacturers of products, not the customer.

Technology manufacturers need to step forward and familiarise themselves with the security guidance offered today to help implement secure-by-design products. This will ensure that our society is safe in the digital world.