Scope and roles

Does the CRA cover a cloud service used by a connected device?

The relationship to the product matters. A remote service needed for a product’s function needs a different assessment from a standalone browser application.

Prepared by CRA Operations · Updated 2026-09-13 · Hypothetical worked examples

The situation

A sensor supplier hosts a service that interprets readings and supplies the device’s advertised alerts. The team also sells an unrelated browser dashboard. Assess the two offerings separately: the fact that both use cloud hosting does not establish the same product boundary.

Facts that change the answer

  • Which advertised device function fails without the remote service?
  • Who designed or commissioned the remote processing?
  • Is the assessed offering supplied commercially on the Union market?

Compare the worked results

These examples use the published assessment with the assumptions shown below. Change the facts in your own assessment before relying on its result.

Remote processing needed by the device

Hypothetical example 1

Assessment resultin scope as manufacturer
Key facts in this example
How the assessed offering reaches the user
remote data processing needed by a product
All recorded assumptions (8)
Product, software or service being assessed
Hypothetical example product
How the assessed offering reaches the user
remote data processing needed by a product
The intended purpose or reasonably foreseeable use includes a direct or indirect logical or physical data connection to a device or network
yes
The offering is supplied for distribution or use on the Union market
yes
The supply occurs in the course of a commercial activity
yes
Sector-specific or public-purpose position
no exclusion identified
Free and open-source software position
not free and open source software
Assessed role in the supply chain
manufacturer under own name or trademark

Standalone browser application

Hypothetical example 2

Assessment resultnot a connected product with digital elements

A browser-only application, website, or independent remote service is not a CRA product merely because it is online. Reassess if it is necessary remote processing for a covered product.(CRA recitals 11–12; Commission 2026 guidance section 2.2)

Key facts in this example
How the assessed offering reaches the user
browser only web application or website
All recorded assumptions (8)
Product, software or service being assessed
Hypothetical example product
How the assessed offering reaches the user
browser only web application or website
The intended purpose or reasonably foreseeable use includes a direct or indirect logical or physical data connection to a device or network
yes
The offering is supplied for distribution or use on the Union market
yes
The supply occurs in the course of a commercial activity
yes
Sector-specific or public-purpose position
no exclusion identified
Free and open-source software position
not free and open source software
Assessed role in the supply chain
manufacturer under own name or trademark

Evaluated on 2026-09-13 using EU Cyber Resilience Act scope and economic-operator determination, version 2026.09.02. A completed example is not a customer Record or a declaration of conformity.

Evidence to keep

  • Architecture diagram showing the device-to-service dependency
  • Intended-purpose statement and customer-facing feature description
  • Identity of the party responsible for the combined offering

Keep source artifacts in their controlled systems and record their references, responsible owner and review date with the decision.

Your next step

Record the boundary before selecting a product class. Include the required remote processing in the product assessment and keep unrelated services separate.

Choose your real product or vulnerability case in the workspace. The selected assessment will be highlighted; example answers are not copied into your record.

Sources and application dates

Manufacturer reporting applies from 11 September 2026. Broader product requirements apply from 11 December 2027; these product-readiness examples support preparation. Open-source-steward obligations have their own application date.

These examples structure a decision and do not replace the Regulation, official guidance or product-specific professional advice. Not lawyer-reviewed.

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