CRA Compliance Made Simple: How Polarion Helps You Stay Ahead

By Alexander Heyers

 

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is a landmark EU regulation designed to strengthen the cybersecurity of products with digital elements—ranging from consumer IoT devices to industrial software. It was signed into law in October 2024 and entered into force in December 2024, with most obligations applying from December 2027.

 

The CRA introduces mandatory cybersecurity requirements for manufacturers, importers, and distributors, ensuring security is embedded throughout the entire product lifecycle—from design and development to maintenance and decommissioning

 

The CRA addresses two major challenges:

• Low cybersecurity standards in many digital products.
• Lack of timely security updates, which leaves users exposed to vulnerabilities.

By enforcing these requirements, the CRA aims to reduce cyber risks, protect consumer data, and create a harmonized EU-wide approach to cybersecurity compliance.

 

Vulnerability Management Under the CRA

One of the core pillars of the CRA is proactive vulnerability management. Manufacturers must:

• Ensure products are free from known exploitable vulnerabilities before market release.
• Provide security updates without delay and maintain them for at least five years or the expected product lifetime.
• Report actively exploited vulnerabilities within 24 hours to national CSIRTs, followed by detailed reports within 72 hours and mitigation details within 14 days.
• Establish coordinated vulnerability disclosure policies, including clear reporting channels for third parties and security researchers3.

These measures shift responsibility from end-users to manufacturers, making cybersecurity a precondition for market access. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to €15 million or 2.5% of annual turnover

 

To learn more, visit this blog by Alexander Heyers.