Glossary

Cybersecurity Resilience Act (CRA) Compliance

Compliance and Regulations

What is Cybersecurity Resilience Act (CRA) Compliance?

Cybersecurity Resilience Act (CRA) compliance refers to adherence to the EU Cyber Resilience Act, a regulation introduced by the European Union to establish baseline cybersecurity requirements for all products with digital elements (PDEs) sold in the EU. The CRA mandates that manufacturers, importers, and distributors implement cybersecurity by design, provide ongoing support and updates, and demonstrate secure product development and operation, especially for critical systems.

Why is Cybersecurity Resilience Act (CRA) Compliance Important?

The CRA addresses the growing risks associated with insecure digital products and supply chains across Europe. It applies to a wide range of products from software and IoT devices to industrial control systems (ICS) and remote access platforms used in sectors such as energy, transportation, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Key CRA obligations include:

Implementing secure-by-design principles during product development.
Ensuring identity management, access control, and logging are built into the product architecture.
Providing vulnerability management, including patching and incident reporting.
Demonstrating supply chain cybersecurity, including controls over third-party access and software components.

The CRA introduces a risk-based classification system, with more stringent requirements for products deemed critical, such as those used in industrial automation, infrastructure protection, and remote access to OT systems. Non-compliance may lead to market bans, fines, or reputational damage.

How Does Xona Help with CRA Compliance?

Xona enables organizations to meet Cybersecurity Resilience Act (CRA) requirements, particularly those outlined in Chapters II and III (Articles 10–15), by delivering a secure, hardened remote access platform built for OT and industrial environments.

Aligned with CRA mandates around secure-by-design architecture, secure maintenance, and lifecycle cybersecurity, Xona enforces:

Role- and time-based access control (RBAC and TBAC) with integrated multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Protocol-isolated access via browser-based sessions with no need for VPNs, agents, or RDP tunnels
Credential injection to eliminate shared credentials and limit identity risk
Full session recording, audit-ready logging, and SIEM integration for real-time monitoring and traceability
Controlled vendor access for secure patching, update validation, and incident response

Xona minimizes the attack surface and supports CRA-aligned workflows such as:

Secure update delivery across the product lifecycle
Logging and auditing for regulatory reporting
Risk reduction during vendor maintenance sessions
Transitioning from legacy tools to CRA-compliant remote access methods

These capabilities help product manufacturers, integrators, and operators embed cybersecurity into the delivery, deployment, and maintenance phases of digital products, as required by the CRA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who must comply with the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)?

Manufacturers, importers, and distributors of products with digital elements (PDEs), including software, hardware, and connected systems, must comply with the CRA if they sell or operate within the EU market. This includes developers of remote access platforms, industrial automation systems, IoT solutions, and critical infrastructure technologies, especially those classified as high-risk under the CRA’s tiered product categorization.

What are the core cybersecurity obligations under the CRA?

The CRA requires organizations to embed cybersecurity-by-design principles into product development, deployment, and maintenance. Key obligations include: secure access control and user authentication mechanisms, logging and monitoring of system activity, secure patching and update workflows, vulnerability disclosure handling, and protection against unauthorized access and software tampering. These controls must be verifiable and maintained throughout the product lifecycle, not just at release.

How does Xona align with CRA Chapter II and III requirements for secure access and updates?

Xona supports CRA Articles 10–15 by enforcing secure, role-based, and time-bound access to connected systems which is critical for secure product deployment and lifecycle management. The platform enables controlled vendor sessions for patching with secure file transfer, supports multi-factor authentication, and eliminates shared credentials using credential injection, directly aligning with CRA mandates for secure maintenance and update delivery.

How does Xona support logging, monitoring, and incident response as required by the CRA?

Xona provides full session recording, immutable audit logs, and SIEM integration, giving organizations forensic traceability and real-time oversight of access activity. These capabilities support both CRA logging requirements and incident response readiness by ensuring access events are documented, auditable, and attributable to individual users.

Can Xona help organizations transition from legacy tools to CRA-compliant architectures?

Yes. Xona eliminates the need for non-compliant tools like VPNs, jump servers, and RDP tunnels, replacing them with browser-based, protocol-isolated access that’s agentless and secure. This reduces the attack surface and enables organizations to adopt CRA-aligned access workflows without re-architecting their network or industrial control systems.

How does Xona reduce supply chain and third-party risk in the context of CRA?

Xona enables organizations to secure and control vendor access during product servicing, diagnostics, or updates which are common third-party access scenarios. Through time-restricted sessions, zero-trust access enforcement, and complete logging, Xona helps ensure third-party interactions are limited, isolated, monitored, and fully auditable, supporting CRA supply chain cybersecurity requirements.