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Artifact GuideUKPSTI Password and Update Policy Requirements

UK PSTI Product Security PSTI Password and Update Policy Requirements

Implement the UK PSTI password rule and publish a defined security support period with the required end date, access conditions, and change controls.

Apply the exact Schedule 1 wording to the released product. Standards and test methods can support evidence, but only the statutory conditions determine compliance with the UK requirement.

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Author
Sorena AI
Published
May 9, 2026
Updated
Oct 15, 2026
4 sections4 primary sources
Overview

Schedule 1 to the PSTI Security Requirements Regulations 2023 sets two separate duties covered here under the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Act 2022. Covered passwords must be unique per product or user-defined, with safeguards against easily guessable unique credentials. For covered hardware and software that can receive , the must be published as a minimum period with an end date and must not be shortened.

Section 1

Password requirement

Apply paragraph 1 to each password within its hardware and software scope. The compliant branches are unique per product or defined by the user. For a manufacturer-supplied unique password, the generation method cannot rely on incremental counters, public information, an unprotected unique product identifier, or another easily guessable basis.

Paragraph 1 covers product hardware and pre-installed software when the product is outside its factory default state, plus the non-pre-installed software required for all manufacturer-intended purposes described in paragraph 1(1)(c). It excludes cryptographic keys, application programming interface keys, and personal identification numbers (PINs) used for pairing in protocols outside the Internet Protocol suite. Record the reason for each excluded credential.

Test initial setup and every recovery path. A product can pass first-boot testing and fail after factory reset if a shared credential remains when the product leaves the factory default state. Password strength recommendations beyond the statutory text may be sensible security controls, but label them as additional controls.

  • Inventory covered password-protected interfaces and associated software.
  • Choose and document the unique-per-product or user-defined branch for each password.
  • Test production uniqueness, guessability, setup interruption, recovery, and factory reset.
  • Keep live passwords and generation secrets out of broadly accessible compliance records.
Section 2

Defined support period and publication

The is the minimum length of time, expressed as a period with an end date, for which will be provided. Paragraph 3 applies only to the listed hardware and software when it can receive security updates. Its associated-software branch excludes a smartphone or cellular-capable tablet, but the other paragraph 3 branches still need to be checked.

Publish the information without prior request, in English, free of charge, without asking for personal information, and in a form understandable without technical knowledge. On a qualifying invitation to purchase on the manufacturer's website or a free website under its control, publish it alongside or give it equal prominence to the main product characteristics.

  • State both the minimum length and a calendar end date for the product or product range.
  • Identify the hardware and software covered by the support commitment.
  • Test that a visitor can find the information without login, form submission, payment, or personal-data entry.
  • Capture the published page, date, product identifiers, approval, and release version.
Section 3

Changing the support commitment

The manufacturer may extend the minimum period. Under the amended rule, publish the new as soon as practicable. Paragraph 3(6) says the security requirement is not met if the published defined support period is shortened.

Distinguish the statutory minimum from an expected product lifetime, warranty, feature-update plan, or promise that every vulnerability will receive a particular fix. Keep the wording precise enough that consumers can tell what period is guaranteed.

  • Route any extension through support, engineering, legal, and publication owners.
  • Update all controlled consumer-facing locations and preserve the previous and new publication dates.
  • Reject proposed changes that shorten the published minimum.
  • Keep security-update capacity and third-party software dependencies aligned with the commitment.
Section 4

Release evidence and failure response

Approve the password evidence and support-period publication for the same released model. Importers and distributors should verify the product's statement route and required information rather than assuming the manufacturer's general policy covers their stock.

If the shipped product or published commitment does not meet the applicable requirement, investigate the potential compliance failure, identify affected units and actors, remedy it where required, and make the role-specific notifications required by the Act.

  • Link password test results, support notice, statement, product version, owner, and approval in one release record.
  • Check regional pages, retailer copy, packaging links, and support sites for inconsistent dates.
  • Block supply when the statutory conditions prohibit making the product available.
  • Record the failure, risks, remedy, validation, notifications, and whether corrective action succeeded.
Recommended next step

Apply this guide to a product assessment

Use the page for one product model, UK route, and legal entity, with named owners, evidence requests, and review points.

Assessment workflow
Open Assessment Autopilot for UK PSTI Product Security

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Research workflow
Review UK PSTI Product Security source evidence

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Talk through implementation

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Primary sources

References and citations

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