October 13, 2023 at 10:49AM
The European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is causing concern among the open source community. The Act, aimed at addressing cybersecurity issues, imposes strict regulations on software publishers, potentially hindering open source development. The open source community is advocating for more flexibility in the regulations and better understanding of how open source works by EU officials. Compliance with the CRA could be difficult for individual developers and small businesses, and there are concerns over reporting vulnerabilities within 24 hours. The Linux Foundation Europe offers suggestions for addressing these concerns.
Key Takeaways from Meeting Notes:
– The European Union’s (EU) Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is a topic of major concern in the open-source software development community.
– The open-source community had hoped to persuade the European Council to modify the CRA, but the EC approved a draft that is seen as onerous for open-source developers.
– The objective of the CRA is to establish strict cybersecurity criteria for gadgets and applications sold within the EU, with software creators being responsible for securing the software.
– The EU’s approach to cybersecurity regulations is seen as too rigid by the open-source community, which desires more flexibility.
– Developers who publish software online may be liable for CRA penalties, even if they are not based in the EU.
– Individual developers may be excluded from CRA requirements, but commercial entities and nonprofit foundations developing open source software will likely need to comply.
– Compliance with the CRA may be difficult for individual developers, programming organizations, and small or medium-sized businesses.
– Developers of “critical” software programs are responsible for risk assessments, documentation, conformity assessments, and vulnerability reporting.
– The EU requires immediate reporting of security vulnerabilities, which may not be feasible for developers to address within 24 hours.
– The EU’s assumption that all open-source developers are commercial programmers does not align with the reality of open-source development.
– The Linux Foundation Europe offers suggestions for taking action to address the concerns raised by the CRA.