Trade association CTIA on Tuesday introduced its latest initiative in the form of the Cybersecurity Certification Program which is promising to improve the security of the Internet of Things sector. The move received support from the four national carriers in the United States, all of whom welcomed the organization’s efforts to address one of the most prominent concerns in the IoT field – an overall lack of security standards. Besides the stateside wireless industry, a number of top technology companies and cybersecurity professionals contributed to the certification program, with the final package being fully compliant with the IoT guidelines set out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The trade association’s new program will start accepting IoT products for certification this October. Device manufacturers interested in enrolling their offerings in the standardization proceedings can learn more about the process itself on CTIA’s official website which also contains resources that should help firms pass the required testing on their first attempt. The lab tests envisioned by the organization span everything from battery life and safety to Bluetooth capabilities, hardware reliability, cellular connectivity, and cybersecurity itself.
In the context of Android-powered IoT solutions, Google is already pushing for a firm security standard with Android Things 1.0 which the company introduced in early May, though that effort should be compatible with CTIA’s own endeavor to improve the resilience of contemporary IoT solutions to hacking attempts. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, Nokia, and Ericsson all voiced their support for the newly announced certification program, describing it as a major milestone on the road toward fully secure IoT technologies. The IoT segment is expected to enjoy significant growth with the arrival of 5G and related solutions that promise improved latencies, speeds, and network capacities, as well as more energy-efficient cellular connectivity and an overall increase in connection reliability.