CES 2024: Biden Administration Announces Deal with EU on Cyber Trust Mark

LAS VEGAS, January 11, 2024 – The United States has entered an agreement with the European Union on a “joint roadmap” for standardized cybersecurity labels, a Biden Administration official announced at CES on Thursday.

“We want companies to know when they test their product once to meet the cybersecurity standards, they can sell anywhere,” said Anne Neuberger.

Neuberger is the White House’s deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technologies. “They can sell in Paris, Texas, or Paris, France.”

Neuberger said the White House is aiming to get its U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a voluntary certification for internet of things devices, on consumer products by the end of the year. The effort to mark products like routers, baby monitors, and thermostats as safe from hacking was first announced in October 2022.

The Federal Communications Commission voted in August to seek comment on how to implement various parts of the program, including how to develop and ensure compliance with its cybersecurity standards.

What exactly those standards will be is not yet decided, but the Commission has said it will base the program on criteria developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Those  include encrypting both stored and communicated data and the ability to receive software updates.

The measure is not on the FCC’s tentative January meeting agenda, but Neuberger said the agency is “working toward next steps.”