Why the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) Matters Right Now
Paper-thin “checkbox” security won’t protect connected products anymore. The CRA pushes for security to be baked into every stage of the lifecycle, then watched like a hawk once devices hit the field. Boards must back Continuous Vulnerability Management and real-time, post-market monitoring – or risk fines and reputational bruises.
Good news? Move early and you’ll earn customer trust, stand out from slower rivals and keep regulators off your back.
Your next move: Break the silos between Engineering, Legal and Security. Get those teams talking weekly so fixes ship fast and documentation stays clean.
Turn System Security Plans (SSPs) into a Living GPS
Most organisations write an SSP once, shove it in a drawer and hope for the best. NIST SP 800-18 treats the plan as a living document that guides every security choice.
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Think of it as GPS for risk – without it you’re driving blind.
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Keep it fresh. Update after major releases, new suppliers or mergers.
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Tie each section to a clear owner so nothing falls through the cracks.
OT and IoT environments twist the plot further: hidden devices, legacy kit and subcontractors all multiply blind spots. A current SSP shines a light on those weak links before attackers do.
Blockchain: Bright Idea or New Attack Surface?
Yes, immutable ledgers can slash fraud and light up supply chains – but smart contracts also widen the blast radius if you slip up.
Board checklist:
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Pilot before you parade. Small proofs of concept expose flaws cheaply.
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Call in specialist auditors. Traditional pen-testers may miss contract logic bugs.
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Write a kill-switch. If a contract misbehaves, you need a way to yank it offline fast.
Treat blockchain as a power tool: brilliant in trained hands, dangerous in a rush.
The Invisible Threat Inside OT
Recent incidents show attackers walking in via trusted suppliers – or even a rogue Raspberry Pi hidden by an insider.
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Roll out continuous network monitoring for OT.
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Log every vendor login and review it weekly.
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Map every device that touches production before it goes live.
Perimeter firewalls alone won’t spot a sleeping implant six switches deep. Know every access point and baseline normal traffic so you can flag anomalies within minutes, not months.
Sector Snapshots
| Sector | Key Pressure Points | Board Priority |
|---|---|---|
| NHS & Healthcare | “Digital by default” drives a surge in connected care devices. Patient data is a jackpot. | Demand device-level patch SLAs and clinician-friendly MFA. |
| Manufacturing | NIS 2 tightens incident reporting and zero-trust expectations. | Fund OT segmentation projects and supply-chain tabletop exercises. |
| Energy & Utilities | Nation-state probes hunt for disruption leverage. | Drill island-mode operations and offline recovery paths. |
Geopolitics: From Headline to Action
US agencies recently warned of Iranian-backed groups scanning defence, energy and manufacturing networks. Treat those bulletins as fuel for funding:
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Enforce MFA across every remote-access channel.
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Segment crown-jewel networks from corporate IT.
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Patch internet-facing assets faster than your competitors.
Preparedness beats paranoia.
Mind the OT Skills Gap
Demand for OT-savvy security pros outstrips supply. If you don’t grow your own, you’ll overpay or miss out entirely.
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Train up engineers who know the plant – easier than teaching outsiders the process quirks.
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Offer clear career paths so talent sticks around.
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Use expert partners for niche tests, but keep incident response muscle in-house.
People are either your strongest shield or your widest door. Choose shield.
Board Agenda for 2025
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Make cyber a standing item, not a quarterly footnote.
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Insist on integrated risk dashboards that merge IT, OT and product telemetry.
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Tie bonuses to SSP hygiene – if the plan is stale, the pay packet shrinks.
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Sponsor a cross-function “red team festival.” One week a year, let ethical hackers loose on every layer.
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Celebrate quick disclosure. Blame games kill transparency; reward teams that raise issues early.
Ready to Strengthen Your Bench?
SECURE Recruitment specialises in placing senior cyber talent and building security-first cultures across the UK, EU and US. Whether you need a fractional CISO, an OT incident commander or an entire red team, we can help.
Book a confidential chat: secure-recruitment.com/contact
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Cyber resilience isn’t just IT’s job – it’s everybody’s business. Start leading the charge today.
