A recent article published by Nikkei in Japan today reported that the security risks posed by Internet of Things (IoT) devices is rising, and that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will be considering regulations beginning in 2020 to enforce standards. The regulations they are considering include mandating that all devices have identity, that devices prevent unauthorized access, and possibly in the field updates (or over the air (OTA)) remediation of issues.

For manufacturers and device creators the risks have never been higher. The Mirai botnet attacks, in which millions of devices globally were breached and used in multiple Dedicated Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, demonstrated clearly that devices require security measures to prevent unauthorized access, only run the correct code, and when necessary be able to securely communicate and receive updates for critical issues. In addition, this must be done at scale globally, so that we give device consumers the confidence their data won’t be hacked or leaked, and devices commandeered for ill intent.

DigiCert’s team has been working for decades on device security. Through the Digicert IoT Platform we enable customers to inject device identity for strong authentication, anywhere from silicon to manufacturing, protect device integrity, and to securely encrypt all device communications. Today, we already are securing billions of IoT devices globally and are working with leading enterprises to future proof devices with quantum resistant cryptography.

Additionally, we are increasing in-country investments worldwide and continue to increase our investment in Japan where local staff and data centers support government workflows today. In Europe we provide the platforms and technology that integrate EU qualified identity protection services for banks and governments, which support country specific regulations for identity that roll up to support the European Union {EU} stringent eIDAS regulations for identity protection.

We are actively tracking Japan governments efforts to secure devices and look forward to working with our partners, customers and industry experts to make sure we protect consumers from unnecessary risk from IoT Devices.