HELPING IROBOT ACHIEVE INTERNET OF THINGS CYBERSECURITY

TÜV SÜD HELPED IROBOT ACHIEVE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) CYBERSECURITY

iRobot is a world-leading robotics company that designs and builds innovative home robots empowering people to do more both inside and outside of the home. Among their newest and most intelligent products are the Roomba® j7 and j7+ robot vacuums.

The increased use of smart technologies means convenience for the consumer, but it also opens the gateway to potential cybersecurity threats. Reports of growing numbers of cyber breaches are on the rise as every connected network is only as secure as its least secured device on the system. If a smart device is vulnerable, it may be open to hacking, and private data could be compromised or lost.

Aware of concerns about unauthorized access to home networks, iRobot wanted to demonstrate the high level of security in their devices.

IROBOT’S BUSINESS CHALLENGE

iRobot needed to design heightened cybersecurity protection against unauthorized access to their IoT ecosystem, and test against high industry standards. iRobot worked with TÜV SÜD on a testing and certification plan that would demonstrate that the Roomba® j7 and j7+ Robot Vacuums had not only achieved industry-standard cybersecurity protection certification but had undergone further rigorous testing by a world-leading and independent Testing and Certification provider.

TÜV SÜD’S RESPONSE

TÜV SÜD first assessed that iRobot’s product complied with the IoT cyber security standard ETSI 303 645. This standard currently serves as a global cyber security baseline for consumer IoT devices. It is designed to reduce attacks such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS), data theft, and more.

“Consumer IoT devices shipped to global markets are proliferating at an exponential rate. Recent regulations and standardizations underline that industries, regulators and consumers around the world recognize the importance of security. We were very excited to work with iRobot to help demonstrate their commitment to the cybersecurity of their devices and to become future-ready for new upcoming cybersecurity regulations,” said Sven Nowak, Director Advanced Services of TÜV SÜD Americas. "Working with iRobot to assess compliance with ETSI 303 645, and to achieve CSC certification also showcased our expertise and experience in that area. This project was a worldwide effort utilizing our testing facilities and experts in the US, UK, Germany, Singapore and China, and it was completed within only six months,” Nowak added.

Sven Nowak, Director Advanced Services of TÜV SÜD Americas

To go beyond the industry standard, iRobot’s product was tested and certified according to TÜV SÜD CyberSecurity Certified (CSC) Certification. This is a more stringent framework that was created in Germany in collaboration with TÜV Verband.

When certified against this scheme, the product and manufacturer demonstrate:

• Conformity with the assessment program for Cybersecurity of Consumer IoT (CIoT) of the VdTÜV MB DIGI 0001 according to the chosen level.
• Key business processes to maintain the security level of the CIoT product beyond the date of certificate issuance.
• For Substantial and High levels of assurance, additional assessment of cloud is performed along with penetration testing to assess the product is minimizing zero-day vulnerabilities.

iRobot was the first consumer IoT manufacturer in the world to achieve the TÜV SÜD CSC certification.

“iRobot’s cutting-edge products and philosophy of protecting customer data, and TÜV SÜD’s expertise in safety and cybersecurity were a perfect combination that allowed iRobot to achieve the first worldwide TÜV SÜD CSC certification and the first TÜV SÜD cybersecurity certificate for consumer IoT products,” said John Tesoro, President, and CEO of TÜV SÜD Americas. “TÜV SÜD has a long, storied history of driving innovation, and we are at the forefront of cybersecurity testing, inspection, and certification. TÜV SÜD’s role is consistent with the need for developing independent third-party certification for critical infrastructure and solutions,” added Tesoro.

John Tesoro, President and CEO of TÜV SÜD Americas

BENEFITS TO IROBOT

iRobot was able to demonstrate that the Roomba® j7 and j7+ robot vacuums have high levels of cybersecurity protection. Achieving certification provides confidence that the product has undergone rigorous testing to protect against unauthorized access.

In addition, by complying with these standards and schemes, iRobot will most likely comply with the updated Articles 3(3)(d), (e) (f) of the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU when they come into force (expected mid-2024). The new measures will help to improve network resilience, better protect consumers’ privacy, and reduce the risk of monetary fraud. This benefits iRobot as they may be able to reduce costs and save time by not having to perform additional testing.