VOA慢速英语听力： 美国宣布启动安全智能设备识别计划 US Announces Program to Identify Safe Smart Devices.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has announced a new program to identify smart devices that are better equipped to resist internet attacks.
The effort is designed to help the public decide which devices in the marketplace carry the best protection against possible cyberattacks.
The program will issue a “U.S. Cyber Trust Mark” to the most protected devices, the administration said in a statement Tuesday. The effort will be carried out by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
“The goal of the program is to provide tools for consumers to make informed decisions about the relative security of products they choose to bring into their homes,” the statement added.
FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel explained the program would cover a wide range of smart devices including climate control systems, televisions, microwaves and fitness trackers. Such devices are part of the “internet of things,” which officials warn could present increased cybersecurity threats.
Several manufacturers have voluntarily agreed “to increase cybersecurity for the products they sell,” the Biden administration said. These companies include Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics USA, Logitech and Samsung Electronics.
The FCC is expected to seek public comment on the program before giving its final approval and officially launching it. Officials said the public should start seeing product identifications, or labels, sometime in 2024.
The safety level of products is to be rated by quality requirements, or standards, created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. These guidelines call for products to require unique and strong passwords, data protection measures and software improvements. In addition, the devices should have built-in tools to identify when cyberattacks are attempted.
The effort will be similar to the Energy Star program, which currently labels products to show that they save energy. Labeled devices would also include QR codes to provide additional information to consumers. Officials said the products will be reexamined yearly to make sure they meet requirements.
In March, the Biden administration launched a national cyber campaign. The campaign called on software manufacturers and companies to increase efforts to protect their products against cyberattacks.
The increase of smart devices on the market has happened as the number of cybercrimes has increased. Internet attacks on personal devices can give criminals a way into home computer networks.
The amount of dangerous software aimed at internet-of-things devices rose sharply in 2022, cybersecurity company SonicWall has estimated. Many of the attacks happened in North America.
The FCC’s Rosenworcel said consumers can now “have peace of mind that the products that they're bringing into their homes adhere to widely accepted security and privacy standards."
An April report from cybersecurity company Bitdefender estimated the least secure devices were smart televisions, followed by smart plugs, routers and digital video recorders.
Internationally, the U.S. Department of State will seek to persuade allies and partners to cooperate to establish similar labeling efforts, the White House statement said.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
美国总统乔·拜登的政府宣布了一个新计划，旨在识别那些更能抵御互联网攻击的智能设备。
该计划旨在帮助公众决定市场上哪些设备具有最佳的防御措施，以防范潜在的网络攻击。
美国联邦通信委员会（FCC）将会发放“美国网络信任标志”给最受保护的设备，政府在周二的一份声明中表示。
该计划将涵盖一系列智能设备，包括气候控制系统、电视、微波炉和健身追踪器等，这些设备都属于“物联网”的一部分，官员们警告这可能会带来日益增加的网络安全威胁。
美国政府表示，包括亚马逊、百思买、谷歌、LG电子美国、罗技和三星电子在内的几家制造商已自愿同意“提高销售产品的网络安全性”。
FCC预计在正式启动计划之前将就该计划征求公众意见。官员们表示，公众应该在2024年开始看到产品标识或标签。
产品的安全等级将由美国国家标准与技术研究所创建的质量要求或标准进行评级。这些准则要求产品需要具备独特且强大的密码、数据保护措施和软件改进。此外，设备应具备内置工具，以识别网络攻击企图。
这个计划类似于“能源之星”计划，该计划目前标记出节能产品。标记的设备还将包含QR码，向消费者提供更多信息。官员表示，这些产品将每年重新审查，确保符合要求。
今年3月，拜登政府启动了一项全国网络攻击活动。该活动呼吁软件制造商和公司加大努力，保护他们的产品免受网络攻击。
随着智能设备在市场上的增加，网络犯罪的数量也在增加。针对个人设备的互联网攻击可能为罪犯提供进入家庭计算机网络的途径。
网络安全公司SonicWall估计，针对物联网设备的危险软件数量在2022年大幅增加。其中许多攻击发生在北美地区。
FCC主席杰西卡·罗森沃克表示，消费者现在可以“放心，他们带回家的产品符合广泛接受的安全和隐私标准。”
网络安全公司Bitdefender的四月份报告估计，最不安全的设备是智能电视，其次是智能插座、路由器和数字视频录像机。
白宫的声明称，美国国务院将寻求说服盟友和伙伴合作，建立类似的标记计划。
我是布莱恩·林恩。
Words in This Story
cyberattack – n. an internet attack against a computer network or electronic device
consumer – n. someone who buys or uses goods or services
tracker – n. an electronic device or piece of software that records information about your physical activity
QR code – n. a symbol printed on something that can be read some devices to provide additional information to the device user
adhere – v. to keep firmly to a particular position
plug – n. a small piece of plastic or rubber with metal pins that is used to connect electronic devices to power openings in the wall
router – n. a piece of electronic equipment that connects computer networks to each other and also sends information between networks
