The EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) has raised the bar for how manufacturers handle product security. It’s no longer enough to scan for vulnerabilities once, issue a patch, and move on. The CRA mandates continuous vulnerability monitoring and coordinated disclosure across all products, for the entire lifecycle. For software-defined product manufacturers, that means building a vulnerability disclosure program (VDP) that is not only technically sound but operationally scalable and repeatable.
Many organizations are discovering that this is harder than it sounds. Vulnerabilities don’t live in isolation. They exist deep in the software stack, across first- and third-party components, and within siloed teams. Without a clear process and supporting infrastructure, organizations risk turning every disclosure into an expensive, one-off fire drill.
This article outlines what a sustainable CRA-compliant disclosure program looks like and how to start building one that works at scale.
The traditional view of vulnerability disclosure treats it as a downstream function: identify a vulnerability, fix it, publish a notice. But under the CRA, disclosure isn’t a one-time output, it’s an ongoing obligation. Manufacturers must:
For manufacturers managing hundreds of SKUs or legacy products with complex software supply chains, this is a significant operational shift. It requires more than tools. It requires a program.
A sustainable disclosure program rests on three foundational pillars: evidence, context, and repeatability.
Evidence ensures that disclosures are based on verified, supportable findings. This includes demonstrating where a vulnerability exists in the codebase, whether it is exploitable, and how it was assessed. Without evidence, disclosures may lack credibility or fail to meet audit expectations.
Context is essential for prioritization. Not all vulnerabilities require immediate disclosure or remediation. Some may be unreachable, mitigated by architecture, or irrelevant to a given deployment. Effective programs include mechanisms to contextualize risk—such as reachability analysis, EPSS scoring, and software composition insights—to determine whether disclosure is required.
Repeatability is what separates ad hoc efforts from scalable programs. A repeatable process allows teams to handle disclosures consistently, no matter where the vulnerability originates or who on the team is involved. It means integrating workflows into development pipelines, automating risk assessment where possible, and documenting actions for transparency and auditing.
Disclosure programs don’t live in just one department. Security teams may discover the vulnerability. Engineering teams must fix it. Legal and compliance teams must approve messaging. Product owners need to understand the impact. And customers—or regulators—need to be informed.
Each of these stakeholders views the disclosure through a different lens. A successful program provides a common operating picture, with shared data and consistent language tailored to each audience. This is where many organizations struggle. Without aligned processes and centralized tools, disclosures become slow, inconsistent, or incomplete.
Finite State helps manufacturers solve this by unifying vulnerability intelligence, product context, and stakeholder communication within a single platform. Developers see the exact component affected. Product managers see which SKUs are impacted. Compliance leads see audit-ready evidence of action taken. Everyone works from the same data, reducing friction and speeding time to disclosure.
Technology plays a critical role in operationalizing vulnerability disclosure under the CRA. Finite State’s platform enables manufacturers to:
By embedding these capabilities into day-to-day workflows—rather than treating disclosure as a separate task—organizations can respond faster, with more confidence, and at greater scale.
It’s one thing to handle a single disclosure. It’s another to maintain a full program over years and across product lines. The difference lies in preparation. Organizations that treat disclosure as a program, not an exception, can standardize around a core set of workflows, tools, and decision-making frameworks. This creates efficiencies, reduces error rates, and builds institutional knowledge over time.
Disclosure programs are also business enablers. Done well, they demonstrate to regulators, customers, and partners that your organization takes security seriously and has the evidence to prove it. This can become a competitive advantage as buyers increasingly factor security maturity into purchasing decisions.
If your organization hasn’t yet formalized a CRA-ready vulnerability disclosure program, the best time to start is now. Begin with one product or team. Define a baseline process. Identify the tools and integrations you need. Then expand.
Disclosure is not optional under the CRA. But done right, it doesn’t have to be a burden. It can be a signal of product quality, security maturity, and operational excellence. The key is building a process that’s built to last and ready to scale.
Need help building a CRA-compliant vulnerability disclosure program? Talk to our team about how Finite State’s platform and services can support your disclosure workflows.