DLC Adds ioXt Alliance Certification to Cybersecurity Standards

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – The ioXt Alliance, the Global Standard for IoT Security, announced today the DesignLights Consortium (DLC) has added ioXt security certification to its Networked Lighting Control System Technical Requirements (Version 5), also known as NLC5.

“As buildings continue to evolve to become more connected, the commercial lighting industry is playing a big role in that transformation, including large-scale networked systems,” said Brad Ree, CTO of the ioXt Alliance. “While this has opened incredible opportunity across the globe, it has also created the immediate need for stronger security measures and industry-led standards practices that ensure all manufacturers and end users are protected from increased cyber harm. By including ioXt on the NLC5 list, the DLC and the Alliance are bringing 300+ companies together to define security specifications for smart home and buildings, and taking further steps that ensure greater transparency and reasonable security worldwide to achieve this.”

“A March 2020 Department of Energy (DOE) report stated that increased connectivity introduces cybersecurity risks that are new to the lighting industry and that must be addressed for successful integration with other systems,” said DLC Executive Director and CEO Christina Halfpenny. “The DLC’s efforts to mitigate these risks have grown and, based on broad stakeholder input over the past three years, NLC5’s new cybersecurity requirements seek to further boost customer confidence and increase NLC installations. The addition of ioXt as an option for manufacturers to test and secure devices is a natural step in this process.”

With increased demands for safer products, the ioXt Alliance has joined together major manufacturers, carriers, tech companies and various industry organizations to ensure device security for all end-users through its global standards. Devices are put through its rigorous Certification Program and are evaluated against each of the eight ioXt pledge principles, with clear guidelines for quantifying the appropriate level of security needed for a specific device, through either manufacturer attestation or through one of the Alliance’s four Authorized Labs. Once a device passes the tests, it is given the ioXt SmartCert label.