FCC to soon announce lead administrator for cyber assurance program
U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger speaks during a White House daily press briefing . Neuberger said during a Nov. 14 call that the FCC will soon announce the lead for the Cyber Trust Mark program. Alex Wong/Getty Images
More information will also be unveiled during the 2025 CES, Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger said.
The Federal Communications Commission will soon announce the lead administrator for a voluntary government program that certifies smart devices as meeting baseline cybersecurity standards, a senior White House official said Thursday.
Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology in the National Security Council, said the FCC-led program will soon be “open for business” for products to be submitted and tested.
She was speaking on a call with the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, a government and industry group that provides telecom security policy advice to the White House. More information will be announced at the Consumer Technology Association’s 2025 CES in January, she added.
The certification, dubbed the Cyber Trust Mark, would appear on internet of things products that meet baseline cyber standards alongside a QR code that users can scan to access more information on the product’s security features. That data may include the minimum security support period of the product and whether its manufacturer automatically releases updates or patches.
Devices that meet the security standards would receive a label akin to the ENERGY STAR certification for energy efficiency. To support the effort, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has defined baseline cybersecurity standards for products to be granted the label.
The FCC opened a public comment period last August to shape the rules and finalized the program based on those responses. The aim is to get these labels onto product shelves sometime in the early months of 2025, Neuberger previously said. In January, she said the European Union had also signed on to the labeling scheme.
The labeling program is part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to strengthen U.S. cyberdefenses. The White House has also rolled out sweeping initiatives to improve federal agencies’ cyber posture and the cybersecurity of the industries and sectors they regulate.
It’s unclear whether the program would undergo any rearrangements in the forthcoming Trump administration. On Wednesday, Neuberger expounded a wishlist for Trump-era cyber policymakers, which included minimum cyber standard requirements for critical infrastructure.