📄️ What Your Software Users Need to Know: Annex II Deep Dive
Alright, let's get straight to it. The Cyber Resilience Act, specifically Annex II, spells out exactly what information and instructions you must provide with your software products. This isn't just legalese; it's about arming your users with the knowledge they need to use your software securely and understand its lifecycle.
📄️ Who Are You? Manufacturer Contact Details for Software Users
When your users need to reach out, make it easy. The Cyber Resilience Act is clear: your software must come with your essential contact information. This is about transparency and accountability.
📄️ Got a Vulnerability? Your Software's Single Point of Contact
Security is a team sport, and your users can be valuable players in identifying weaknesses. The Cyber Resilience Act mandates that you establish a clear, single point of contact for reporting and receiving information about vulnerabilities in your software (Annex II, point 2).
📄️ What Software Is This, Anyway? Product Identification
Users and authorities need to know exactly which software product they're dealing with. The Cyber Resilience Act requires you to provide clear identification details for your software (Annex II, point 3). This is about traceability and clarity.
📄️ What's Your Software For? Intended Purpose & Security Features
Your users need to understand what your software is designed to do and what security features it has. The Cyber Resilience Act requires you to spell this out clearly (Annex II, point 4). This isn't just about features; it's about setting correct expectations regarding security.
📄️ Heads Up! Known and Foreseeable Software Cybersecurity Risks
No software is entirely without risk. The Cyber Resilience Act requires you to inform users about any known or reasonably foreseeable circumstances related to your software's use that could lead to significant cybersecurity risks (Annex II, point 5). This is about transparency and enabling users to make informed decisions.
📄️ Proof of Compliance: Linking to Your Software's EU Declaration of Conformity
Your EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is your formal statement that your software meets the Cyber Resilience Act's requirements. Users and authorities need access to it. For software, this often means providing a direct link (Annex II, point 6).
📄️ Proof of Compliance: Linking to Your Software's EU Declaration of Conformity
Your EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC) is your formal statement that your software meets the Cyber Resilience Act's requirements. Users and authorities need access to it. For software, this often means providing a direct link (Annex II, point 6).
📄️ Setting Up for Success: Secure Software Installation & Use
Just shipping secure software isn't enough; your users need to know how to install and use it securely from day one and throughout its life. The Cyber Resilience Act emphasizes providing clear instructions for this (Annex II, point 8a).
📄️ The Ripple Effect: How Software Changes Impact Data Security
Software evolves. Updates, new features, or even reconfigurations by the user can change how your software interacts with data, potentially affecting its security. The Cyber Resilience Act requires you to inform users about this (Annex II, point 8b).
📄️ Keeping Your Software Safe: How to Install Security Updates
Security updates are your first line of defense against new threats. Users need to know how to get them and install them promptly. The Cyber Resilience Act mandates you provide clear instructions on this (Annex II, point 8c).
📄️ Saying Goodbye Securely: Software Decommissioning & Data Wipes
When users are done with your software, they need to know how to remove it securely, especially any personal or sensitive data it handled. The Cyber Resilience Act requires you to provide instructions for this (Annex II, point 8d).
📄️ User Control: How to Disable Automatic Software Security Updates
While automatic security updates are generally a good thing and often a default (as per Annex I, Part I, point 2c), users must have the option to turn them off. The Cyber Resilience Act mandates you provide clear instructions on how they can do this (Annex II, point 8e).
📄️ Building Blocks: Info for Developers Integrating Your Software Component
If your software is a component designed to be built into other products (like a library, an SDK, or an uncritical paid game engine module), you have a responsibility to the developers who use it. The Cyber Resilience Act requires you to provide them with the necessary information to maintain cybersecurity (Annex II, point 8f).
📄️ Transparency Layer: Accessing the SBOM (If You Share It with Users)
A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) lists the components within your software. While the CRA requires manufacturers to create an SBOM for their vulnerability handling processes (Annex I, Part II, point 1), making it directly available to end-users is optional.