Core Concepts for Software Developers

The game has changed. The moment you put your app, game, or software component on the EU market, you are not just a developer; the Cyber Resilience Act officially labels you a 'manufacturer'. Your software is now a ‘Product with Digital Elements’, and it has a new rulebook to follow. This is your playbook for market access. It starts with a mandatory cybersecurity risk assessment to map out potential threats against your product. That assessment guides your implementation of the law's 'Essential Cybersecurity Requirements' from Annex I, which cover both secure product design and your ongoing process for handling vulnerabilities. For most games and apps, you prove compliance yourself through a self-assessment. This involves building the technical documentation as your evidence file, signing the formal EU Declaration of Conformity to assume responsibility, and displaying the CE marking as your product's passport to the EU. But compliance doesn't end at launch. You are on the hook for managing vulnerabilities and reporting severe exploits for your product's entire support period. This is the new standard.