Cyber Resilience Act 2023/2841 EN

1. By 8 April 2025, each Union entity shall, after carrying out an initial cybersecurity review, such as an audit, establish an internal cybersecurity risk-management, governance and control framework (the ‘Framework’). The establishment of the Framework shall be overseen by and under the responsibility of the Union entity’s highest_level_of_management.

2. The Framework shall cover the entirety of the unclassified ICT environment of the Union entity concerned, including any on-premises ICT environment, operational technology network, outsourced assets and services in cloud computing environments or hosted by third parties, mobile devices, corporate networks, business networks not connected to the internet and any devices connected to those environments (ICT environment). The Framework shall be based on an all-hazards approach.

3. The Framework shall ensure a high level of cybersecurity. The Framework shall establish internal cybersecurity policies, including objectives and priorities, for the security of network_and_information_systems, and the roles and responsibilities of the Union entity’s staff tasked with ensuring the effective implementation of this Regulation. The Framework shall also include mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of the implementation.

4. The Framework shall be reviewed on a regular basis, in light of the changing cybersecurity risks, and at least every four years. Where appropriate and following a request from the Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board established pursuant to Article 10, a Union entity’s Framework may be updated on the basis of guidance from CERT-EU on incidents identified or possible gaps observed in the implementation of this Regulation.

5. The highest_level_of_management of each Union entity shall be responsible for the implementation of this Regulation and shall oversee the compliance of its organisation with the obligations related to the Framework.

6. Where appropriate and without prejudice to its responsibility for the implementation of this Regulation, the highest_level_of_management of each Union entity may delegate specific obligations under this Regulation to senior officials within the meaning of Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations or other officials at equivalent level, within the Union entity concerned. Regardless of any such delegation, the highest_level_of_management may be held liable for infringements of this Regulation by the Union entity concerned.

7. Each Union entity shall have effective mechanisms in place to ensure that an adequate percentage of the ICT budget is spent on cybersecurity. Due account shall be taken of the Framework when establishing that percentage.

8. Each Union entity shall appoint a local cybersecurity officer or an equivalent function who shall act as its single point of contact regarding all aspects of cybersecurity. The local cybersecurity officer shall facilitate the implementation of this Regulation and report directly to the highest_level_of_management on a regular basis on the state of the implementation. Without prejudice to the local cybersecurity officer being the single point of contact in each Union entity, a Union entity may delegate certain tasks of the local cybersecurity officer with regard to the implementation of this Regulation to CERT-EU on the basis of a service level agreement concluded between that Union entity and CERT-EU, or those tasks may be shared by several Union_entities. Where those tasks are delegated to CERT-EU, the Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board established pursuant to Article 10 shall decide whether the provision of that service is to be part of the baseline services of CERT-EU, taking into account the human and financial resources of the Union entity concerned. Each Union entity shall, without undue delay, notify CERT-EU of the local cybersecurity officer appointed and any subsequent change thereto.

CERT-EU shall establish and keep updated a list of appointed local cybersecurity officers.

9. The senior officials within the meaning of Article 29(2) of the Staff Regulations or other officials at equivalent level of each Union entity, as well as all relevant members of staff tasked with implementing the cybersecurity risk-management measures and with fulfilling obligations laid down in this Regulation, shall follow specific training on a regular basis with a view to gaining sufficient knowledge and skills in order to apprehend and assess cybersecurity risk- and management practices and their impact on the operations of the Union entity.

Article 7

Cybersecurity maturity assessments

1. By 8 July 2025 and at least every two years thereafter, each Union entity shall carry out a cybersecurity maturity assessment incorporating all the elements of its ICT environment.

2. The cybersecurity maturity assessments shall, where appropriate, be carried out with the assistance of a specialised third party.

3. Union_entities with similar structures may cooperate in carrying out cybersecurity maturity assessments for their respective entities.

4. On the basis of a request of the Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board established pursuant to Article 10 and with the explicit consent of the Union entity concerned, the results of a cybersecurity maturity assessment may be discussed within that Board or within the informal group of local cybersecurity officers with a view to learning from experience and sharing best practices.

Article 12

Compliance

1. The IICB shall, pursuant to Article 10(2) and Article 11, effectively monitor the implementation of this Regulation and of adopted guidelines, recommendations and calls for action by the Union_entities. The IICB may request information or documentation necessary for that purpose from the Union_entities. For the purpose of adopting compliance measures under this Article, where the Union entity concerned is directly represented on the IICB, that Union entity shall not have voting rights.

2. Where the IICB finds that a Union entity has not effectively implemented this Regulation or guidelines, recommendations or calls for action issued pursuant thereto, it may, without prejudice to the internal procedures of the Union entity concerned, and after giving an opportunity to the Union entity concerned to present its observations:

(a)	communicate a reasoned opinion to the Union entity concerned with observed gaps in the implementation of this Regulation;

(b)	provide, after consulting CERT-EU, guidelines to the Union entity concerned to ensure that its Framework, cybersecurity risk-management measures, cybersecurity plan and reporting comply with this Regulation within a specified period;

(c)	issue a warning to address identified shortcomings within a specified period, including recommendations to amend measures adopted by the Union entity concerned pursuant to this Regulation;

(d)	issue a reasoned notification to the Union entity concerned, in the event that shortcomings identified in a warning issued pursuant to point (c) were not sufficiently addressed within the specified period;

(e)

issue:

(i)	a recommendation for an audit to be carried out; or

(ii)	a request that an audit be performed by a third-party audit service;

(f)	if applicable, inform the Court of Auditors, within the remit of its mandate, of the alleged non-compliance;

(g)	issue a recommendation that all Member States and Union_entities implement a temporary suspension of data flows to the Union entity concerned.

For the purposes of the first subparagraph, point (c), the audience of a warning shall be restricted appropriately, where necessary in view of the cybersecurity risk.

Warnings and recommendations issued pursuant to the first subparagraph shall be directed to the highest_level_of_management of the Union entity concerned.

3. Where the IICB has adopted measures under paragraph 2, first subparagraph, points (a) to (g), the Union entity concerned shall provide details of the measures and actions taken to address the alleged shortcomings identified by the IICB. The Union entity shall submit those details within a reasonable period to be agreed with the IICB.

4. Where the IICB considers that there is persistent infringement of this Regulation by a Union entity resulting directly from actions or omissions of an official or other servant of the Union, including at the highest_level_of_management, the IICB shall request that the Union entity concerned take appropriate action, including requesting it to consider taking action of a disciplinary nature, in accordance with the rules and procedures laid down in the Staff Regulations and any other applicable rules and procedures. To that end, the IICB shall transfer the necessary information to the Union entity concerned.

5. Where Union_entities notify that they are unable to meet the deadlines set out in Article 6(1) and Article 8(1), the IICB may, in duly substantiated cases, taking into account the size of the Union entity, authorise the extension of those deadlines.

CHAPTER IV

CERT-EU

Article 13

CERT-EU mission and tasks

1. CERT-EU’s mission shall be to contribute to the security of the unclassified ICT environment of Union_entities by advising them on cybersecurity, by helping them to prevent, detect, handle, mitigate, respond to and recover from incidents and by acting as their cybersecurity information exchange and incident response coordination hub.

2. CERT-EU shall collect, manage, analyse and share information with the Union_entities on cyber_threats, vulnerabilities and incidents in unclassified ICT infrastructure. It shall coordinate responses to incidents at interinstitutional and Union entity level, including by providing or coordinating the provision of specialised operational assistance.

3. CERT-EU shall carry out the following tasks to assist the Union_entities:

(a)	support them with the implementation of this Regulation and contribute to the coordination of the implementation of this Regulation through the measures listed in Article 14(1) or through ad-hoc reports requested by the IICB;

(b)	offer standard CSIRT services for Union_entities by means of a package of cybersecurity services described in its service catalogue (baseline services);

(c)	maintain a network of peers and partners to support the services as outlined in Articles 17 and 18;

(d)	bring to the attention of the IICB any problems relating to the implementation of this Regulation and the implementation of guidelines, recommendations and calls for action;

(e)	on the basis of the information referred to in paragraph 2, contribute to the Union cyber situational awareness in close cooperation with ENISA;

(f)	coordinate the management of major incidents;

(g)	act on the part of Union_entities as the equivalent of the coordinator designated for the purposes of coordinated vulnerability disclosure pursuant to Article 12(1) of Directive (EU) 2022/2555;

(h)	provide, upon the request of a Union entity, proactive non-intrusive scanning of publicly accessible network_and_information_systems of that Union entity.

The information referred to in the first subparagraph, point (e), shall be shared with the IICB, the CSIRTs network and the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN), where applicable and appropriate, and subject to appropriate confidentiality conditions.

4. CERT-EU may, in accordance with Article 17 or 18 as appropriate, cooperate with relevant cybersecurity communities within the Union and its Member States, including in the following areas:

(a)	preparedness, incident coordination, information exchange and crisis response at the technical level on cases linked to Union_entities;

(b)	operational cooperation regarding the CSIRTs network, including with regard to mutual assistance;

(c)	cyber_threat intelligence, including situational awareness;

(d)	on any topic requiring CERT-EU’s technical cybersecurity expertise.

5. Within its competence, CERT-EU shall engage in structured cooperation with ENISA on capacity building, operational cooperation and long-term strategic analyses of cyber_threats in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/881. CERT-EU may cooperate and exchange information with Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre.

6. CERT-EU may provide the following services not described in its service catalogue (chargeable services):

(a)

services that support the cybersecurity of Union_entities’ ICT environment, other than those referred to in paragraph 3, on the basis of service level agreements and subject to available resources, in particular broad-spectrum network monitoring, including first-line 24/7 monitoring for high-severity cyber_threats;

(b)	services that support cybersecurity operations or projects of Union_entities, other than those to protect their ICT environment, on the basis of written agreements and with the prior approval of the IICB;

(c)	upon request, a proactive scanning of the network_and_information_systems of the Union entity concerned to detect vulnerabilities with a potential significant impact;

(d)

services that support the security of their ICT environment to organisations other than the Union_entities that cooperate closely with Union_entities, for instance by having tasks or responsibilities conferred under Union law, on the basis of written agreements and with the prior approval of the IICB.

With regard to the first subparagraph, point (d), CERT-EU may, on an exceptional basis, enter into service level agreements with entities other than the Union_entities with the prior approval of the IICB.

7. CERT-EU shall organise and may participate in cybersecurity exercises or recommend participation in existing exercises, where applicable in close cooperation with ENISA, to test the level of cybersecurity of the Union_entities.

8. CERT-EU may provide assistance to Union_entities regarding incidents in network_and_information_systems handling EUCI where it is explicitly requested to do so by the Union_entities concerned in accordance with their respective procedures. The provision of assistance by CERT-EU under this paragraph shall be without prejudice to applicable rules concerning the protection of classified information.

9. CERT-EU shall inform Union_entities about its incident handling procedures and processes.

10. CERT-EU shall contribute, with a high level of confidentiality and reliability, via the appropriate cooperation mechanisms and reporting lines, relevant and anonymised information about major incidents and the manner in which they were handled. That information shall be included in the report referred to in Article 10(14).

11. CERT-EU shall, in cooperation with the EDPS, support the Union_entities concerned when addressing incidents resulting in personal data breaches, without prejudice to the competence and tasks of the EDPS as a supervisory authority under Regulation (EU) 2018/1725.

12. CERT-EU may, if expressly requested by Union_entities’ policy departments, provide technical advice or input on relevant policy matters.

Article 14

Guidelines, recommendations and calls for action

1. CERT-EU shall support the implementation of this Regulation by issuing:

(a)	calls for action describing urgent security measures that Union_entities are urged to take within a set timeframe;

(b)	proposals to the IICB for guidelines addressed to all or a subset of the Union_entities;

(c)	proposals to the IICB for recommendations addressed to individual Union_entities.

With regard to the first subparagraph, point (a), the Union entity concerned shall, without undue delay after receiving the call for action, inform CERT-EU of how the urgent security measures were applied.

2. Guidelines and recommendations may include:

(a)

common methodologies and a model for assessing the cybersecurity maturity of the Union_entities, including the corresponding scales or KPIs, serving as reference in support of continuous cybersecurity improvement across the Union_entities and facilitating the prioritisation of cybersecurity domains and measures taking into account entities’ cybersecurity posture;

(b)	arrangements for or improvements to cybersecurity risk management and the cybersecurity risk-management measures;

(c)	arrangements for cybersecurity maturity assessments and cybersecurity plans;

(d)	where appropriate, the use of common technology, architecture, open source and associated best practices with the aim of achieving interoperability and common standards, including a coordinated approach to supply chain security;

(e)	where appropriate, information to facilitate the use of common procurement instruments for the purchasing of relevant cybersecurity services and products from third-party suppliers;

(f)	information-sharing arrangements pursuant to Article 20.

Article 21

Reporting obligations

1. An incident shall be considered to be significant if:

(a)	it has caused or is capable of causing severe operational disruption to the functioning of, or financial loss to, the Union entity concerned;

(b)	it has affected or is capable of affecting other natural or legal persons by causing considerable material or non-material damage.

2. Union_entities shall submit to CERT-EU:

(a)

without undue delay and in any event within 24 hours of becoming aware of the significant incident, an early warning, which, where applicable, shall indicate that the significant incident is suspected of being caused by unlawful or malicious acts or could have a cross-entity or a cross-border impact;

(b)

without undue delay and in any event within 72 hours of becoming aware of the significant incident, an incident notification, which, where applicable, shall update the information referred to in point (a) and indicate an initial assessment of the significant incident, including its severity and impact, as well as, where available, the indicators of compromise;

(c)	upon the request of CERT-EU, an intermediate report on relevant status updates;

(d)

a final report not later than one month after the submission of the incident notification under point (b), including the following:

(i)	a detailed description of the incident, including its severity and impact;

(ii)	the type of threat or root cause that is likely to have triggered the incident;

(iii)

applied and ongoing mitigation measures;

(iv)	where applicable, the cross-border or cross-entity impact of the incident;

(e)	in the event of an ongoing incident at the time of the submission of the final report referred to in point (d), a progress report at that time and a final report within one month of their handling of the incident.

3. A Union entity shall, without undue delay and in any event within 24 hours of becoming aware of a significant incident, inform any relevant Member State counterparts referred to in Article 17(1) in the Member State where it is located that a significant incident has occurred.

4. The Union_entities shall notify, inter alia, any information enabling CERT-EU to determine any cross-entity impact, impact on the hosting Member State or cross-border impact following a significant incident. Without prejudice to Article 12, the mere act of notification shall not subject the Union entity to increased liability.

5. Where applicable, Union_entities shall communicate, without undue delay, to the users of the network_and_information_systems affected, or of other components of the ICT environment, that are potentially affected by a significant incident or a significant cyber_threat, and, where appropriate, need to take mitigating measures, any measures or remedies that they can take in response to that incident or that threat. Where appropriate, Union_entities shall inform those users of the significant cyber_threat itself.

6. Where a significant incident or significant cyber_threat affects a network_and_information_system, or a component of a Union entity’s ICT environment that is knowingly connected with another Union entity’s ICT environment, CERT-EU shall issue a relevant cybersecurity alert.

7. The Union_entities, upon the request of CERT-EU, shall, without undue delay, provide CERT-EU with digital information created by the use of electronic devices involved in their respective incidents. CERT-EU may provide further details of the types of information that it requires for situational awareness and incident response.

8. CERT-EU shall submit to the IICB, ENISA, the EU INTCEN and the CSIRTs network, every three months, a summary report including anonymised and aggregated data on significant incidents, incidents, cyber_threats, near_misses and vulnerabilities pursuant to Article 20 and significant incidents notified pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article. The summary report shall constitute an input to the biennial report on the state of cybersecurity in the Union adopted pursuant to Article 18 of Directive (EU) 2022/2555.

9. By 8 July 2024, the IICB shall issue guidelines or recommendations further specifying the arrangements for, and format and content of, the reporting pursuant to this Article. When preparing such guidelines or recommendations, the IICB shall take into account any implementing acts adopted pursuant to Article 23(11) of Directive (EU) 2022/2555 specifying the type of information, the format and the procedure of notifications. CERT-EU shall disseminate the appropriate technical details to enable proactive detection, incident response or mitigating measures by Union_entities.

10. The reporting obligations laid down in this Article shall not extend to:

(a)

EUCI;

(b)	information the further distribution of which has been excluded by means of a visible marking, unless the sharing thereof with CERT-EU has been explicitly allowed.

Article 22

Incident response coordination and cooperation

1. In acting as a cybersecurity information exchange and incident response coordination hub, CERT-EU shall facilitate information exchange with regards to incidents, cyber_threats, vulnerabilities and near_misses among:

(a)	Union_entities;

(b)	the counterparts referred to in Articles 17 and 18.

2. CERT-EU, where relevant in close cooperation with ENISA, shall facilitate coordination among Union_entities on incident response, including:

(a)	contribution to consistent external communication;

(b)	mutual support, such as sharing information relevant to Union_entities, or providing assistance, where relevant directly on site;

(c)	optimal use of operational resources;

(d)	coordination with other crisis response mechanisms at Union level.

3. CERT-EU, in close cooperation with ENISA, shall support Union_entities regarding situational awareness of incidents, cyber_threats, vulnerabilities and near_misses as well as sharing relevant developments in the field of cybersecurity.

4. By 8 January 2025, the IICB shall, on the basis of a proposal by CERT-EU, adopt guidelines or recommendations on incident response coordination and cooperation for significant incidents. Where the criminal nature of an incident is suspected, CERT-EU shall advise on how to report the incident to law enforcement authorities, without undue delay.

5. Following a specific request from a Member State and with the approval of the Union_entities concerned, CERT-EU may call on experts from the list referred to in Article 23(4), for contributing to the response to a major incident which has an impact in that Member State, or a large-scale cybersecurity incident in accordance with Article 15(3), point (g), of Directive (EU) 2022/2555. Specific rules on access to and the use of technical experts from Union_entities shall be approved by the IICB on the basis of a proposal by CERT-EU.

whereas

keyboard_tab Cyber Resilience Act 2023/2841 EN

Cyber Resilience Act 2023/2841 EN