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CNLABS and UNSW launch IoT security certification

August 12, 2024

Posted by: Anna Ribeiro

Cyber security concept

Image by Freepik

CNLABS, in collaboration with the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), has announced a conformance certification framework that is fundamental to securing IoT systems. 

The Manufacturers Usage Description Conformance Certification Framework (MUD-CCF), based on IETF RFC 8520, includes a comprehensive test specification and an automated test solution to verify MUD compliance with IoT devices. Enterprises, service providers, and Industrial IoT operators can use MUD-CCF as an essential prerequisite for deploying secure IoT networks.

CNLABS is an independent, vendor-neutral test lab offering industry certifications, regulatory compliance testing, interoperability and third-party certification testing for product vendors, enterprises, and service providers in various domains, including cybersecurity, IPv6 and network virtualization. CNLABS is accredited by NABL (ILAC) and meets the globally recognised ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard that assures quality and competency of the lab, personnel, and test results. 

MUD has been recognised by several forums as a practical standard to reduce the vulnerability of IoT devices to network-based attacks. The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) from NIST has included it in their guideline NIST SP.1800-15 for securing small businesses. A framework like MUD-CCF provides a lightweight and easily adaptable certification path for IoT device manufacturers, providing the foundation for developing secure IoT (Internet of Things) and IIoT (industrial Internet of Things) solutions.

“Since last year, our partnership with CNLABS to develop secure and reliable connected networks has gained momentum,” Julien Epps, dean of engineering at UNSW Sydney, observed in a media statement. “It’s encouraging to see our efforts leading advancements in IoT cybersecurity through MUD-CCF. We are excited about the future prospects of this collaboration and the positive impact it will continue to have on the industry and our society.”

“CNLABS is proud to announce a robust certification framework with UNSW for securing IoT networks. We are building on this foundational work by developing AI-based adaptive network pods that will significantly enhance security in evolving threat environments,” said Jayaprakash Kumar, CEO of CNLABS.

Technical test requirements based on MUD-CCF have been recommended to ITU-T for standardisation. CNLABS is also working with national standardisation agencies to promote the adoption of MUD-CCF. Researchers led by Dr Hassan Habibi Gharakheili at UNSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications have developed a research paper on MUD-CCF (currently under review by IEEE). CNLABS has published a whitepaper on MUD-CCF for industry reference.

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