The landscape of cybersecurity regulations is evolving globally, and within the European Union, the recently introduced Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) represents a significant step forward in addressing vulnerabilities in digital products and services. The CRA aims to set a higher baseline for cybersecurity across all digital products, focusing on making supply chains resilient and ensuring ongoing security support. This move aligns the EU’s cybersecurity standards with the goals of the NIS2 directive, which is more focused on critical infrastructure, and helps protect EU consumers and organizations alike from emerging digital threats.

As companies consider compliance with CRA, choosing secure and adaptable software solutions for embedded systems becomes a priority. SYSGO's ELinOS, a Linux-based solution specifically designed for embedded systems, stands out as an excellent choice for meeting CRA requirements. ELinOS offers a robust toolbox that integrates extensive security features, supports long-term maintenance, and leverages SYSGO's commitment to security at a company level. Let’s explore why ELinOS is well-positioned to help organizations navigate CRA compliance.

Understanding ELinOS: A Secure Linux Toolbox for Embedded Systems

ELinOS is an embedded Linux platform that provides a suite of tools and a customizable Linux kernel tailored for embedded environments. Designed for flexibility, ELinOS gives developers access to the Linux kernel source code, enabling them to compile a custom kernel based on Board Support Packages (BSP) that include target-specific drivers. This flexibility allows integrators to create Linux images optimized for their devices while maintaining control over security features and configurations.

A guided and simple to use step-by-step configuration process makes ELinOS easy to adapt and configure for specific project needs. This adaptability is particularly valuable in meeting CRA's demands for secure, resilient digital products, as it enables users to incorporate only the features they need, reducing the attack surface of each application.

Security by Design: Built-In Features for Supply Chain and Device Security

The CRA emphasizes security by design, mandating that security be integrated throughout the product life cycle. ELinOS follows this philosophy by incorporating advanced security features that help address many CRA requirements:

• Supply Chain Security: ELinOS includes a license manifest that provides a transparent view of software licenses, helping users manage open-source compliance and reduce risks associated with third-party components. This feature aligns with CRA’s emphasis on minimizing supply chain vulnerabilities.
• System Updates and OTA Support: ELinOS supports Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, allowing for seamless distribution of security patches and software updates. Each update includes release notes detailing the vulnerabilities addressed, ensuring CRA compliance by helping users maintain up-to-date and secure systems.
• Chain of Trust: Building a chain of trust is fundamental to ELinOS, beginning with secure boot and extending through kernel and application security. By establishing secure boot protocols, ELinOS ensures that only authenticated software can run, while its memory protection and encryption protocols help safeguard the integrity of applications and data.
• Risk Assessment: With each release, ELinOS performs a risk assessment based on Debian and Linux distributions, allowing for precise alignment of security measures. This proactive assessment reduces exposure to threats, a key concern under CRA’s stringent security standards.
• Comprehensive Cryptography: ELinOS includes cryptography libraries such as the Kernel Crypto API, GnuTLS, libgcrypt, and OpenSSL, supporting robust data encryption and protection. Disk encryption is also available for storage security, meeting CRA’s requirements for data protection within digital products.
• System Hardening: To reduce vulnerability exposure, ELinOS offers various hardening mechanisms, including support for SELinux, Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), Immutable Linux, and the use of the Rust programming language for secure coding. These tools prevent attacks like stack overflows and code injection, ensuring greater resilience in the embedded systems that CRA seeks to secure.
• Security Partitioning with Containers: ELinOS supports containerization and Kubernetes-based solutions for segmenting security-sensitive applications, providing an additional layer of isolation and management control within complex deployments.

Long-Term Support and Incident Response

One of the CRA’s requirements is that products must be supported with security updates for an extended period. SYSGO offers long-term support for ELinOS, including security services and incident response:

• Vulnerability Reporting and Security Services: ELinOS provides detailed vulnerability reports and keeps customers informed of security developments through dedicated ELinOS Security Services. These reports allow customers to stay ahead of potential threats, a critical element for CRA compliance.
• Incident Response and Package Updates: Customers with a support contract receive up-to-date patches for a minimum of five years, with the option to extend. ELinOS’s incident response team offers timely updates to open-source packages and dependencies, meeting CRA’s requirement for ongoing security support.
• Support Ticket System: SYSGO’s ticket system guarantees response times within two business days, ensuring swift resolution of security-related issues. This feature demonstrates SYSGO’s commitment to customer support and reinforces the CRA’s mandate for rapid incident handling.

Security at the Company Level: SYSGO’s proactive Measures

SYSGO’s corporate-level commitment to security further enhances ELinOS’s value as a CRA-compliant solution. SYSGO has implemented a certified Information Security Management System (ISMS) under the ISO 27001 standard, providing assurance that security is prioritized in all product development and management processes. SYSGO’s vulnerability-reporting page (www.sysgo.com/vulnerability-report) further exemplifies this commitment, including documented security findings such as resolving vulnerabilities in virtual network configurations and contributing to Intel's Spectre vulnerability research.

SYSGO’s Secure Automotive Connectivity Platform (SACOP), which combines ELinOS with PikeOS RTOS and Hypervisor, provides a certified secure chain of trust specifically for automotive applications (www.sysgo.com/sacop), demonstrating a CRA-aligned approach for safety-critical industries. SYSGO’s support for Edge-to-Cloud solutions also helps customers build secure infrastructures suitable for the new edge-driven environments (www.sysgo.com/edge-to-cloud).

How ELinOS directly Supports CRA Compliance

In summary, ELinOS’s extensive security features and long-term support offerings align closely with the CRA’s goals, providing a comprehensive platform for security-conscious organizations:

1. Supply Chain Security: Transparent licensing and OTA updates protect against supply chain risks, while the License Manifest simplifies compliance management.
2. Data Protection and Encryption: Comprehensive cryptographic options and disk encryption capabilities meet CRA’s data protection requirements.
3. Security Hardening and Risk Mitigation: Built-in hardening techniques and proactive risk assessments address potential vulnerabilities early, reducing system exposure to threats.
4. Incident Response and Long-Term Security Support: Through regular updates and a responsive ticketing system, ELinOS ensures that security remains a priority throughout the product lifecycle.
5. Corporate-Level Security Measures: SYSGO’s ISO 27001 certification and proactive security practices underscore its commitment to CRA-compliant security practices.

Conclusion

For organizations looking to comply with the CRA’s stringent security requirements, SYSGO’s ELinOS offers a powerful, flexible, and secure foundation for embedded Linux systems. By combining security-focused design, proactive support, and company-level security certifications, ELinOS provides a robust solution that aligns with the CRA’s vision of a resilient digital ecosystem. With SYSGO’s support, companies can build secure, sustainable products that meet Europe’s highest cybersecurity standards, safeguarding their applications and, ultimately, their users.

Free ELinOS Test Version

For a firsthand experience of ELinOS’s powerful security features and adaptable Linux environment, explore the free ELinOS test version and see how it can strengthen your embedded projects for the Cyber Resilience Act.

Get started today at www.sysgo.com/get-elinos