California passes law that bans default passwords in connected devices TechCrunch

pCommentppGood newsppCalifornia has passed a law banning default passwords like admin 123456 and the old classic password in all new consumer electronics starting in 2020ppEvery new gadget built in the state from routers to smart home tech will have to come with reasonable security features out of the box The law specifically calls for each device to come with a preprogrammed password unique to each deviceppIt also mandates that any new device contains a security feature that requires a user to generate a new means of authentication before access is granted to the device for the first time forcing users to change the unique password to something new as soon as its switched on for the first timeppFor years botnets have utilized the power of badly secured connected devices to pummel sites with huge amounts of internet traffic socalled distributed denialofservice DDoS attacks Botnets typically rely on default passwords that are hardcoded into devices when theyre built that arent later changed by the user Malware breaks into the devices using publicly available default passwords hijacks the device and ensnares the device into conducting cyberattacks without the users knowledgeppTwo years ago the notorious Mirai botnet dragged thousands of devices together to target Dyn a networking company that provides domain name service to major sites By knocking Dyn offline other sites that relied on its services were also inaccessible like Twitter Spotify and SoundCloudppMirai was a relatively rudimentary albeit powerful botnet that relied on default passwords This law is a step in the right direction to prevent these kinds of botnets but falls short on wider security issuesppOther more advanced botnets dont need to guess a password because they instead exploit known vulnerabilities in Internet of Things devices like smart bulbs alarms and home electronicsppAs noted by others the law as signed does not mandate device makers to update their software when bugs are found The big device makers like Amazon Apple and Google do update their software but many of the lesserknown brands do notppStill as it stands the law is better than nothing even if theres room for improvement in the futureppLarge DDoS attacks cause outages at Twitter Spotify and other sitesppppEvery weekday and Sunday you can get the best of TechCrunchs coverageppStartups are the core of TechCrunch so get our best coverage delivered weeklyppThe latest Fintech news and analysis delivered every TuesdayppTechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insightppBy submitting your email you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice
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