If you’ve been guilty of using easy to guess passwords such as ‘1234’ and ‘qwerty’ you need to stop now.

New legislation is to come into effect in the future to help protect people from having their devices hacked and data stolen.

The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Bill has been welcomed by Poole based C3IA Solutions.

Jim Hawkins from the company said that the new law will ban easy-to-guess default passwords being installed on devices.

It will also require that customers are told when they buy an internet-enabled product how long it will receive security updates and patches.

Jim said: “This is something that will make hacking harder and is the sort of bill the cyber security industry has been calling for.

“It is a move in the right direction and shows that legislators are beginning to understand the threats that ordinary people face.

“Easy-to-guess default passwords enable hackers to target a device and that can give them access to home networks meaning they are able to steal data or sensitive information.

“So many things are internet-connected now – from televisions to toys – and it gives criminals new opportunities.

“During the lockdowns, we saw more traditional criminals move into cyber crime, and there they remain.

“The legislation will also provide a place where people can report bugs and flaws – and the whole thing will be overseen by a new regulator.

“Companies that do not comply with the new law could face large fines – and this is hopefully the stick that will create compliance. The law will apply to manufacturers, importers and distributors.

“There will be an estimated 50 billion connectable products worldwide by 2030, and on average there are nine in each UK home.

“The bill also aims to boost the security of 5G and broadband networks.

“It is important that people don’t become complacent because the bill is not in effect yet and there are plenty of other ways in which internet security can be breached.

“As ever, we would urge people to use hard-to-guess passwords on all their devices and change them regularly. A good technique is to use three random words or a password management system.

“With Christmas approaching there will be millions of gadgets given as presents and each represents a security risk.”