As the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)'s enforcement date approaches (October 2026), cybersecurity requirements on manufacturers, developers, and service providers responsible for software and hardware connected to the internet will need to start thinking - if they haven't already -about what they need to do to comply. It may seem like a long time off, but the earlier you start, the better.
Aligning software practices with the CRA is not a check-box compliance exercise; it demands a fundamental shift to secure-by-design, proactive risk management, and continuous visibility across the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Here's what you need to do to align your software security practices with the EU CRA.
Risk-Based Approach to Cybersecurity
At its root, the CRA is a risk-based model. It doesn't prescribe specific technologies or one-size-fits-all practices; it mandates that manufacturers assess the cybersecurity risks specific to each product's purpose and operating environment.
According to Article 10 of the CRA, organizations must regularly update documented risk assessments that address the following:
- Cyber threats and vulnerabilities that the product may face.
- Security requirements under Annex 1, such as secure default configurations, access controls, and data minimization.
- Ongoing vulnerability management strategies.
This risk-based approach to cybersecurity grants organizations the flexibility they need to tailor security controls to each product's specific risks and contexts.
Ensuring Visibility Across the Software Development Lifecycle
To meet the CRA's expectations, organizations must gain visibility across the SDLC. This means being able to trace, audit, and verify the security status of every component, both proprietary and third-party, within the software supply chain.
To gain this visibility, organizations should implement continuous monitoring and automated scanning at every phase, from initial coding to deployment and maintenance. Tripwire's security and integrity monitoring tools, for example, provide deep insight into configuration drift and unauthorized changes across environments, helping organizations maintain control and visibility.
Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) also play a crucial role here. By cataloging components and their dependencies, SBOMs allow organizations to assess exposure when a new vulnerability emerges quickly. Incorporating SBOMs into CI/CD pipelines maintains this visibility in real-time.
Eliminating Known Vulnerabilities
Annex 1 of the CRA outlines essential cybersecurity requirements, including the obligation to protect products against known vulnerabilities. This is not just a recommendation; under the CRA, shipping products with unresolved known CVEs could result in penalties, product recalls, or loss of market access.
To align with Annex 1, organizations must:
- Regularly scan their codebase and dependencies using tools such as SCA (Software Composition Analysis) and SAST (Static Application Security Testing)
- Apply security patches swiftly and document patch timelines
- Establish robust vulnerability management processes, including coordinated disclosure and end-of-life support policies
Tripwire's vulnerability management solutions can support these efforts by automating detection, prioritization, and remediation tracking. Integrating such tools into your SDLC creates a defensible posture under audit and accelerates time-to-compliance.
Implementing Secure-By-Design Principles
Secure-by-design is a foundational principle of the CRA, demanding that security must be baked in from the outset, not bolted on after development. To make this shift, cross-functional collaboration between developers, security engineers, product owners, and legal teams is essential.
Secure-by-design means incorporating threat modeling, security requirements engineering, and secure coding practices into your DevSecOps pipeline. Training developers in secure coding and integrating security checks into version control and build processes is essential.
Beyond process changes, this principle also affects architecture. For example, minimizing attack surfaces, enforcing least privilege, and ensuring data encryption in transit and at rest are all architectural expressions of secure-by-design.
Organizations must adopt a layered approach to defense that includes configuration hardening, endpoint integrity monitoring, and policy enforcement to align with this proactive stance.
Preparing for Compliance and Enhancing Security Posture
As with all regulations, the EU CRA is both a challenge and an opportunity. For CISOs, it is a call to modernize legacy security practices and embrace a lifecycle approach to cybersecurity that spans development, deployment, and decommissioning.
With enforcement timelines looming and broader compliance required by the end of 2027, it's important to get your ducks in a row now. Organizations that move early can not only ensure compliance but also reduce security risk, build customer trust, and, crucially, gain a competitive edge in the European market.
At Fortra, we're here to help you meet the CRA. From vulnerability management and integrity monitoring to policy enforcement and compliance reporting, our solutions are purpose-built to help security leaders operationalize cyber resilience across the SDLC.
Request a demo today.
