Default passwords such as 1,2,3,4 are to be banned in smart devices, the Government has announced as part of a crackdown on hacking.

Manufacturers of internet-connected gadgets such as smart speakers and baby monitors will also have to tell customers by law how long they intend to provide security support for their products.

The shake-up comes as part of a drive to improve digital protections in the growing number of ‘smart’ household items, amid fears they can be hacked into and used to spy on people in their own homes.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), also announced that companies will now have to have a public point of contact where people can report vulnerabilities they find in their software.

The Government said it plans to draw up legislation to enforce the new standards and bring it before MPs “as soon as possible” when the parliamentary schedule allows.

Digital Minister Matt Warman said: “We want to make the UK the safest place to be online with pro-innovation regulation that breeds confidence in modern technology.

“Our new law will hold firms manufacturing and selling internet-connected devices to account and stop hackers threatening people’s privacy and safety.

“It will mean robust security standards are built in from the design stage and not bolted on as an afterthought.”