US Congress holds hearing on IoT security

On 16 November, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology in the US Congress held a hearing on ‘Understanding the Role of Connected Devices in Recent Cyber Attacks’. Experts appearing in front of the committees highlighted the increasing risks posed by the inadequate security of Internet-connected devices, and called for governmental intervention. Such intervention, it was said, could take the form of regulation imposing minimum security standards for manufacturers of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Members of the Congress, on the other hand, seemed to be skeptical towards the idea of regulation, noting, for example, that it might be more adequate for the industry to develop best practices. They also underlined the fact that the IoT security is a global issue, and that US regulation might not fix the real problem.