Why Embedded Developers Should Care About the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA)

Welcome to the first edition of Security Tuesdays — Thistle Technologies’ new series on Hackster.io, where we dive deep into the world of securing the edge.

In this inaugural post, we're kicking things off with a critical topic: the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). If you’re building embedded or IoT systems, CRA will reshape how you think about security — from boot processes to long-term patching.

Let’s break down what it means, why it matters, and how you can prepare today to stay ahead.

Critical CRA concepts that impact embedded systems

Here’s what you need to know technically:

1. Secure boot requirements
Devices must enforce cryptographic verification of firmware at every boot stage. This ensures that only authenticated, untampered firmware is executed, preventing persistent malware or rootkits at the hardware level.

2. Data protection at rest
Persistent storage (e.g. flash memory, external storage modules) must protect sensitive information such as cryptographic keys, device credentials, and configuration data — even if physical access to the device is obtained. Encryption, secure key storage, and tamper detection mechanisms will be critical.

3. Secure firmware update mechanisms
CRA mandates that devices support secure, authenticated, and integrity-verified firmware updates, including the ability to rollback safely to a known good state if an update fails. Updates must also be provided for a minimum of five years post-market launch.

4. Vulnerability disclosure and patch management
Manufacturers must maintain a vulnerability management program, enabling coordinated disclosure and timely patching. Embedded systems must be architected to facilitate rapid deployment of security updates without full hardware recalls.

5. Supply chain transparency
You will need to track and document all third-party software components (e.g. open source libraries, RTOSes, drivers) and demonstrate control over their security posture.

How embedded developers can technically prepare

Proactively designing your systems around these principles will dramatically reduce future compliance friction:

• Implement secure boot chains.
  Start with hardware-based roots of trust (e.g. TPM, TrustZone, secure elements) and enforce cryptographic signature checks at every firmware handoff.
• Encrypt sensitive data at rest.
  Use hardware-backed key storage (if available) or encrypted volumes to protect credentials and critical operational data. Consider authenticated encryption to provide both confidentiality and integrity.
• Design secure, fail-safe update mechanisms.
  Leverage A/B partitioning schemes, update integrity validation (e.g. signed images), and atomic updates to enable reliable over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates.
• Integrate SBOM and vulnerability monitoring early.
  Automate the generation of software bill of materials (SBOM) artifacts and integrate vulnerability scanning into your CI/CD pipelines for embedded firmware.
• Plan for long-term update infrastructure.
  Design systems that can accept security updates easily and securely long after initial deployment, even in resource-constrained environments.

Accelerating CRA compliance with Thistle Technologies

At Thistle Technologies, we focus on giving embedded teams the building blocks they need to implement strong security practices aligned with regulatory requirements like CRA — without starting from scratch.

Our platform provides:

✅ Secure boot enablement — Easily integrate a full Secure Boot chain into your device lifecycle with verified firmware authenticity at every stage.
✅ Data protection at rest — Seamless integration of secure storage for sensitive data, leveraging cryptographic best practices.
✅ End-to-end secure update infrastructure — Robust OTA solutions with cryptographic signature validation, rollback capabilities, and long-term update support baked in.

By embedding security foundations early, you can accelerate development, minimize compliance risk, and deliver trustworthy products that meet the next generation of security standards.

Look forward to making the edge a safer place together!