The EU CRA is a major shift toward secure-by-design product development, introducing mandatory cybersecurity requirements for hardware and software products with digital elements placed on the EU market. Its reporting obligations are already live, and the broader requirements around secure development, vulnerability handling, documentation, and conformity assessment become fully applicable on December 11, 2027.
This framework brings product security, engineering, compliance, and supply-chain risk into one readiness motion. Drata now supports a focused CRA framework covering the 22 Essential Cybersecurity Requirements in Annex I, with purpose-built requirements, cross-mapped controls, policy templates, and continuous evidence to help teams build a repeatable readiness program.
Who should care about the EU CRA
- Manufacture, import, or distribute hardware and software products with digital elements in the EU, including companies headquartered outside the EU
- Own secure-by-design development, software bills of materials, vulnerability handling, security updates, and product support timelines
- Need to coordinate legal, product, engineering, security, and compliance responsibilities before placing products on the EU market
- Manage third-party suppliers, embedded software, and open-source components that can affect product-security and reporting obligations
Why organizations should adopt the EU CRA
- Ensures market access for connected products and software in the EU
- Helps embed security by design and default throughout product development
- Reduces legal, operational, and reputational risks associated with insecure products
- Enhances trust and transparency with EU customers and regulators
- Aligns with evolving global cybersecurity product standards (e.g., ETSI EN 303 645, ISO/IEC 27400)
Benefits of implementing the EU CRA
- Enables continued legal sale of digital products in the EU
- Builds secure product development practices across the supply chain
- Demonstrates cybersecurity maturity and regulatory readiness
- Reduces risk of vulnerabilities, recalls, and enforcement penalties
- Increases consumer and buyer confidence in secure, supported products
- Positions companies as trusted vendors in the EU digital economy
- Encourages cross-functional collaboration across product, security, legal, and engineering teams
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