SINGAPORE — Consumers here are by now used to seeing energy labels on home appliances which, with their blue ticks, indicate how energy-efficient those devices are. Soon, similar labels will be applied to Wi-Fi routers and smart home hubs, which will serve to tell buyers which ones have better cybersecurity provisions than others.

Known as the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme, the labels will provide an indication of whether the devices have passed certain assessments and tests, such as whether they have unique default passwords, or if they are less vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, for example.

Introduced by the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore, the scheme will first be applied to Wi-Fi routers and smart home hubs, and will be aligned to global security standards for consumer Internet of Things products.

The scheme, which will help more cybersecure products stand out, was announced in Parliament on Tuesday (March 3) during the debate on the Ministry of Communications and Information's (MCI) budget.  

Speaking during the debate, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary said that manufacturers of home routers will have to meet minimum security requirements before they can attain the label.

These requirements will also serve to “uplift baseline standards for such devices”, he added.

CSA said the scheme will also “incentivise manufacturers and product vendors” to develop products with recognised and improved safety features.

“Currently, consumer smart devices are often designed to optimise functionality and cost,” it noted. 

Such products are often characterised by a short time-to-market cycle — the time it takes for a product to be developed and hit the shelves — so there will be “less scope” for cybersecurity design to be “incorporated at the beginning”, the agency added. 

Responding to queries from TODAY, CSA said that the scheme will be rolled out later this year.

When asked what the labels will look like, it said that the labels will provide an “easy-to-understand indication of the security provisions in the registered products”. More details will be revealed later.

The scheme is an initiative under the new Safer Cyberspace Masterplan.

The masterplan will include initiatives which focus on “securing infrastructure, safeguarding digital activities, and empowering users”, said CSA. More details on the masterplan will be announced later this year.