LG Electronics Refrigerator Earns Platinum Grade in IoT Security Evaluation... "First in Home Appliance Industry"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] LG Electronics announced on the 9th that its refrigerator received the platinum grade in the Internet of Things (IoT) security evaluation from UL, a global safety certification company, marking the first time in the home appliance industry.

UL tests the hacking risks and security levels of IoT products and smart devices, assigning security grades in five levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.

According to LG Electronics, the LG refrigerator was evaluated on whether it has data initialization and security update functions, whether users can select the types of data collected, and whether data is encrypted and securely stored and transmitted. It also passed security verification through simulations of malware installation and hacking attempts, earning the platinum grade. This is the first time a global home appliance company has received the platinum grade.

LG Electronics explained, "We installed a communication module equipped with both Wi-Fi and low-power Bluetooth in the refrigerator, which was evaluated for industry-leading security safety, including hacking defense capabilities and data encryption," adding, "We plan to continuously increase the number of refrigerator products equipped with this module."

LG Electronics also plans to proactively respond to strengthening security regulations in global home appliance markets such as Europe based on this evaluation. The European Union (EU) enacted the Cybersecurity Act in June 2019 and plans to determine the mandatory level of cybersecurity evaluation by 2023. In line with this, LG Electronics will expand UL security evaluations to various product lines following refrigerators.

LG Electronics stated that it applies the Software Security Development Lifecycle (LG SDL) throughout all processes from development to launch of IoT products to predict and prepare for security risks, striving to secure the highest level of security safety. Yeom Jangseon, Executive Director of the H&A Platform Business at LG Electronics H&A Division, said, "We will enhance not only advanced performance but also the highest level of security safety so that customers can use LG smart home appliances with confidence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.