UNSW teams up with CNLABS for new IoT security certification framework

CNLABS, in partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), has announced a groundbreaking conformance certification framework aimed at enhancing the security of Internet of Things (IoT) systems.

The Manufacturers Usage Description Conformance Certification Framework (MUD-CCF), based on IETF RFC 8520, introduces a comprehensive test specification and an automated test solution to verify MUD compliance of IoT devices.

This new framework is expected to serve as a crucial tool for enterprises, service providers, and Industrial IoT operators in deploying secure IoT networks. MUD has gained recognition from various forums as a practical standard for reducing the vulnerability of IoT devices to network-based attacks.

Notably, the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) from NIST has included it in their guideline NIST.SP.1800-15 for securing small businesses.

"Since last year, our partnership with CNLABS to develop secure and reliable connected networks has gained momentum. It's encouraging to see our efforts leading advancements in IoT cybersecurity through MUD-CCF, UNSW's dean of engineering, professor Julien Epps said.

"We are building on this foundational work by developing AI-based adaptive network pods that will significantly enhance security in evolving threat environments," Jayaprakash Kumar, the chief executive of CNLABS, added. 

The framework provides a lightweight and easily adoptable certification path for IoT device manufacturers, laying the groundwork for developing secure IoT and Industrial IoT solutions.

Technical test requirements based on MUD-CCF have been recommended to ITU-T for standardization, and CNLABS is working with national standardisation agencies to promote its adoption.

Researchers at UNSW School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, led by Dr Hassan Habibi Gharakheili, have developed a research paper on MUD-CCF, which is currently under review by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

Additionally, CNLABS has published a whitepaper on MUD-CCF for industry reference.

CNLABS is an independent, vendor-neutral, interoperability lab for testing and certification of products, technologies and solutions.

It offers product certifications, regulatory, interoperability, security, and third party testing for network equipment manufacturers, ISPs, network Operators, electric utilities, and the automotive sector.