Oregon moves to secure smart devices

The Oregon state legislature isn’t waiting for Congress to act on growing concerns about the lack of security in web-connected household appliances, such as smart assistants, security cameras, and streaming television sets, a category of devices known as the “internet of things.”

This month, the Oregon House of Representatives passed a bill that would require internet of things devices to include “reasonable” security features. Oregon House Bill 2395, introduced at the request of Democratic state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, would require each device to ship with a default password and would require new users to get authenticated before accessing the device. The bill awaits action in the state Senate.