Locks and Security News: your weekly locks and security industry newsletter
17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

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The importance of NDAA compliance for European businesses

Uri Guterman, Head of Product & Marketing for Hanwha Techwin Europe, explains the significance to system integrators and end-users across Europe of the measures taken by the U.S. Government to prevent security cameras being maliciously hacked.

There are many acronyms which are regularly used on websites and in documentation to describe the attributes of video surveillance products, but there is perhaps currently none more important than NDAA.

NDAA is the acronym for the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act. Compliance with the Act and in particular Section 889, is an essential requirement which consultants, system designers and system integrators will need to take into consideration when submitting tenders for projects involving clients who operate multi-nationally.

Section 889 prohibits U.S. federal agencies and their contractors, as well as grant or loan recipients, from procuring or using telecommunications and video surveillance equipment from a number of named companies. It applies to a substantial or essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part of any system.

Better to be safe than sorry
Section 889 doesn't just prevent federal agencies from deploying cameras manufactured by the blacklisted companies. It also bans them from conducting business with any organisation that is using them. This has serious implications for European companies conducting business in a global landscape where organisations and operations are increasingly connected.

European based end-users who are contemplating buying video surveillance products from one of the Section 889 listed manufacturers, perhaps because they seem keenly priced, may therefore find it a false economy to do so.

Unless they are 100% certain they will not have the opportunity to provide products or services to U.S. federal agencies at some point in the future, the relatively small savings which might be achieved by procuring non-NDAA cameras, could pale into insignificance against potential lost sales opportunities.

Fortunately, with there being no shortage of non-blacklisted manufacturers offering professional level video surveillance solutions, stakeholders can take advantage of a highly competitive marketplace to procure cameras that are cost-effective, as well as NDAA compliant.

Hanwha Techwin - Korean at heart
With its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in South Korea as well as in Vietnam, Hanwha Techwin has introduced a long list of products which are NDAA compliant and has been able to prove that none of its products include components manufactured by any of the blacklisted companies.

Although other Wisenet cameras are NDAA compliant, Hanwha Techwin is particularly proud of the cybersecurity credentials of its ground-breaking Wisenet7 chipset, which includes a host of features such as Secure Boot Verification, Secure OS and Anti-Hardware Clone. This has made it relatively easy to verify that cameras equipped with Wisenet7 are able to comply with the Act by preventing hackers from accessing and tampering with their firmware.

GDPR
With Wisenet cameras equipped with the Wisenet7 chipset meeting Secure by Default, as well as UL CAP standards, end-users can be assured that in addition to NDAA compliance, the cameras will also help them comply with GDPR by ensuring confidential data cannot be accessed, copied or tampered with.

Do you have some questions about NDAA or cyber security in general? Email Uri Guterman at [email protected]

17th March 2021