All smart TVs and devices will have to come with warning labels telling buyers how easy they are to hack, the Government has said.
Under new proposals outlined today internet-connected products could be banned in the UK if they fail to tell consumers whether they meet basic security standards.
The Secure by Design code comes as the Government warned many smart devices “lack even basic security provisions”.
The regulations cover all internet-connected household devices from children’s toys and baby monitors to smart watches, speakers and home assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa.
Digital Minister Margot James said: “Many consumer products that are connected to the internet are often found to be insecure, putting consumers privacy and security at risk.
“Our Code of Practice was the first step towards making sure that products have safety features built in from the design stage and not bolted on as an afterthought.”
The code, which has been drawn up by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, stipulates devices must to adhere to three basic standards. These include not using standard identical passwords, telling consumers how long the device will receive software updates for and providing a point of contact where people can report vulnerabilities they find.
Companies can already sign up to the Secure by Design code on a voluntary basis, but the Government is now consulting on a number of options to enforce it.
The Telegraph understands the Government’s preferred option is to make manufacturers clearly label whether the smart devices meet its minimum standards or not.
However, ministers also are considering more stringent options that could see products banned in the UK if they don’t comply with the standards.
The move comes as the Government warned that some popular devices had security flaws that left users’ data and privacy at risk from hackers.
Earlier this year thousands of smart TV’s and speakers, including Google’s Chromecast, were hijacked in a stunt by fans of Brighton-based YouTuber Felix Kjellberg, known as Pewdiepie, and made to play his videos.
Yet, the new standards also aim to prevent more serious cyber threats, such as mass assaults called distributed denial of service attacks, which the government said could “pose a risk to the wider economy.''
These involve hackers exploiting security weaknesses to take control of thousands of devices at a time.
Following the consultation the enforcement options are expected to come before Parliament alongside the Government’s online harms white paper. They will then be introduced on a voluntary basis at first to give manufacturer's time to comply before becoming mandatory.
The proposals were welcomed by Dr Ian Levy, the Technical Director of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre.
He said: “Serious security problems in consumer IoT devices, such as pre-set unchangeable passwords, continue to be discovered and it’s unacceptable that these are not being fixed by manufacturers.”