Anchor the responsibility for cybersecurity at the highest governmental and business levels by designating specific ministries and CISOs. Establish clear measures and targets as well as the right mindset throughout organizations – “It is everyone’s task”.

Companies – and if necessary – governments must establish risk-based rules that ensure adequate protection across all IoT layers with clearly defined and mandatory requirements. Ensure confidentiality, authenticity, integrity, and availability by setting baseline standards, such as

Identity and access management: Connected devices must have secure identities and safeguarding measures that only allow authorized users and devices to use them.

Encryption: Connected devices must ensure confidentiality for data storage and transmission purposes, wherever appropriate.

Continuous protection: Companies must offer updates, upgrades, and patches throughout a reasonable lifecycle for their products, systems, and services via a secure update mechanism.

Adopt the highest appropriate level of security and data protection and ensure that it is preconfigured into the design of products, functionalities, processes, technologies, operations, architectures, and business models.

Serve as a trusted partner throughout a reasonable lifecycle, providing products, systems, and services as well as guidance based on the customer’s cybersecurity needs, impacts, and risks.

Combine domain know-how and deepen a joint understanding between firms and policymakers of cybersecurity requirements and rules in order to continuously innovate and adapt cybersecurity measures to new threats; drive and encourage i.a. contractual Public Private Partnerships.

Include dedicated cybersecurity courses in school curricula – as degree courses in universities, professional education, and trainings – in order to lead the transformation of skills and job profiles needed for the future.

Companies – and if necessary – governments establish mandatory independent third-party certifications (based on future-proof definitions, where life and limb is at risk in particular) for critical infrastructure as well as critical IoT solutions.

Participate in an industrial cybersecurity network in order to share new insights, information on incidents et al.; report incidents beyond today’s practice which is focusing on critical infrastructure.

Promote multilateral collaborations in regulation and standardization to set a level playing field matching the global reach of WTO; inclusion of rules for cybersecurity into Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

Drive joint initiatives including all relevant stakeholders in order to implement the above principles in the various parts of the digital world without undue delay.