Haier smart appliances gain UL gold standard in Europe

Chinese home appliances manufacturer Haier has been certified gold for IoT cybersecurity by UL Solutions, the first company to achieve the standard in Europe.

According to UL, the gold-level rating means that the IoT systems implemented in Haier’s smart products “use industry best practices for IoT cybersecurity.”

UL Solutions IoT Security Rating categorizes products according to a five-level scale from bronze to diamond (with the gold rating falling in the middle).

Products certified under the ratings system receive a UL Verified Mark that specifies their rating. They will also be evaluated on an ongoing basis by UL Solutions.

To achieve the Gold IoT Security Rating Haier’s smart appliances needed to demonstrate vital baseline security capabilities, such as no default passwords, secure updates and connections, access controls and product security maintenance.

As well as helping ensure consumer confidence in their products, the IoT security rating also helps manufacturers demonstrate that their products meet the threshold of reasonable security features as required in US IoT security regulations and recommended in global IoT security guidelines, UL said.

"We’re extremely pleased to have achieved the Gold IoT Security Rating,” said Gianpiero Morbello, head of Brand and IoT at Haier Europe. “We believe UL Solutions’ third-party verification and our commitment to their IoT Security Rating throughout the product lifecycle helps Haier continue to put our customers' peace of mind first while protecting against security threats."