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Congress Introduces Bill To Improve 'Internet of Things' Security (cnet.com)
Members of the US Senate and House of Representatives introduced the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act on Monday, hoping to bring legislative action to the emerging technology. From a report: Connected devices are expected to boom to 20.4 billion units by 2020, but they don't all have the same levels of security. Hackers often target IoT devices that don't have built-in security, leading to problems like default passwords and vulnerabilities that can't be fixed. [...] Lawmakers are looking to fix that with the bill, which would require a bare minimum of security standards for any IoT devices that the federal government uses. "While I'm excited about their life-changing potential, I'm also concerned that many IoT devices are being sold without appropriate safeguards and protections in place, with the device market prioritizing convenience and price over security," Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, said in a statement.
The "S" in "IoT" stands for "Security". As in, there ain't none.
Yes, having a default password already applied to all IoT devices would be a great idea, as long as the instructions on "HOW TO CHANGE THE DEFAULT PASSWORD" was printed in at least 24-point type. For appliances, the instructions should be printed on a sticker (same typeface) across the front of the device.
Beyond that .... the users need to be afraid of IoT devices and be concerned that they could he hacked. Because they all will be.