Norway Cyber Resilience Act: How the New Cyber Resilience Act Will Redefine Digital Safety for Consumers

Norway Cyber Resilience Act | Norway’s New Cybersecurity Rules – Norway’s Cyber Shield: How the Cyber Resilience Act Makes Smart Devices Safer for Consumers

From Smart Speakers to Washing Machines: New EU Regulation Mandates Robust Cybersecurity in All Internet-Connected Devices, with Nkom at the Helm

In the modern Norwegian home, a silent evolution is underway. The humble refrigerator suggests a shopping list, the television recommends a film based on yesterday’s conversation, and the dishwasher reports a fault to the service centre before the owner even notices a problem. Speakers, TVs, routers, watches, and washing machines—an ever-expanding ecosystem of devices is becoming digital and connecting to the internet. While this network of convenience, often called the Internet of Things (IoT), promises to simplify daily life, it also introduces a profound and often invisible vulnerability: an open door to cyber threats.

Each connected device is a potential entry point for criminals seeking to infiltrate our digital lives, steal personal data, or even hijack home networks. Recognising this growing peril, the Norwegian government has embarked on a decisive path to fortify the digital frontier of its citizens’ homes. By adopting and implementing the European Union’s landmark Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), Norway is not merely updating a regulation; it is fundamentally shifting the responsibility for digital safety onto the shoulders of those who create our technology, marking a vital step in protecting Norwegian consumers.

The announcement from the Norwegian Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance was clear and unequivocal. Digitalisation and Public Governance Minister Karianne Tung stated, “The regulation will reduce vulnerabilities and ensure that producers become responsible for the cybersecurity of all digital products with an internet connection. People in Norway must be protected against criminals who attempt to break into our homes and products digitally, which is why we wish to introduce this regulation.” This statement underscores a critical philosophical shift.

For too long, cybersecurity has been a reactive game for consumers—a matter of changing passwords, installing updates, and hoping manufacturers patch vulnerabilities. The CRA flips this script, establishing a proactive, “security-by-design” principle that must be embedded from the very first line of code and sketch of a product. This new regulatory framework sharpens the requirements for manufacturers and aims to make purchasing digital equipment safer.

As Minister Tung emphasised, “We are tightening the requirements for digital products. It will reduce the risk of cyberattacks and strengthen trust in the electronics we buy. It is important that we can be confident that the digital equipment we use at home is safe. Manufacturers and importers must therefore adapt to the new standards and ensure that all new products meet the new requirements.”

The regulation is set to apply from December 11, 2027, with certain provisions taking effect as early as 2026, giving the industry a crucial adaptation period. This timeline is not just bureaucratic; it is a recognition of the complex supply chains and design cycles in the tech industry, allowing for a structured transition toward compliance.

The scope of the CRA is intentionally broad, covering any product with digital elements whose intended or foreseeable use includes a direct or indirect data connection to a device or network. This encompasses everything from children’s smart toys and fitness trackers to industrial control systems and smart home hubs.

For the producers of these covered products, this means they must align design, production, and conformity assessments with the new requirements, which will also encompass software. Crucially, the regulation mandates that manufacturers must handle vulnerabilities for a product’s entire support period or expected lifetime, providing security updates without delay. They must also transparently inform users about the duration of security support at the point of purchase—a move that empowers consumers to make informed, long-term choices.

To translate this legislative framework into effective market surveillance and enforcement, the Norwegian government has appointed the National Communications Authority (Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet – Nkom) as the supervisory body for the CRA. This decision is a strategic one, building upon existing institutional expertise. Nkom already oversees the Radio Equipment Directive, which was expanded on August 1, 2025, to include new cybersecurity requirements for radio equipment. The CRA responsibility extends this competency further into the digital realm.

Espen Slette, Department Director of the Spectrum Department at Nkom, articulated the significance of this expanded mandate: “Securing that internet-connected equipment is safe and robust is an important societal responsibility. This responsibility is closely linked to our work regulating artificial intelligence and radio equipment. When more and more services and products are connected to the internet, we must ensure that security follows, both for consumers, businesses, and critical infrastructure.”

Nkom’s new role is multifaceted and carries substantial weight. It encompasses market surveillance of products covered by the regulation, receiving and handling notifications of vulnerabilities and incidents, appointing technical control bodies, and coordinating with other relevant national and international authorities. This last point is particularly vital in a globalised market; a vulnerability in a router sold in Oslo is likely the same in one sold in Milan.

Therefore, Nkom’s collaboration with the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and other national competent authorities will be key to creating a cohesive, continent-wide digital defence network. Earlier this year, Nkom’s introduction of stricter security requirements for internet-connected radio equipment signalled Norway’s tightening stance. The work on the CRA is a logical and powerful continuation of this trajectory, directly aimed at making digital products safer and protecting consumers from hacking and fraud.

The empirical impetus for such a regulation is overwhelming. Studies and reports from cybersecurity firms consistently paint a troubling picture of the IoT landscape. Devices are often shipped with default, hard-coded passwords, unpatched known vulnerabilities, and insecure communication protocols. Researchers have demonstrated hacks on everything from smart thermostats and security cameras to connected medical devices and vehicles. These are not theoretical risks. Botnets like Mirai have harnessed armies of poorly secured IoT devices to launch devastating distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that can cripple internet infrastructure.

On a personal level, a hacked smart speaker or camera represents a direct invasion of privacy and a potential tool for blackmail or surveillance. The financial motivation for cybercriminals is immense, with stolen data and access to networks being lucrative commodities on the dark web. Norway, as one of the world’s most digitally advanced societies, is particularly exposed. Its high rates of internet penetration, tech adoption, and digital service reliance make robust cybersecurity a cornerstone of national and economic security.

The Cyber Resilience Act, therefore, is more than a consumer protection measure; it is an economic and strategic necessity. By levelling the playing field with clear, harmonised rules across the European Economic Area, it prevents a “race to the bottom” where cost-cutting comes at the expense of security. It rewards manufacturers who invest in secure development practices and creates legal certainty for the industry. For Norwegian businesses and the public sector, which are major purchasers of digital equipment, it means a supply chain with inherently more trustworthy components. This is crucial for protecting critical infrastructure, from energy grids to healthcare systems, which increasingly depend on interconnected digital products.

The human impact of this regulatory shift cannot be overstated. For the average Norwegian family, the promise is a future where the benefits of digitalisation are not tempered by nagging anxiety. It is the confidence to set up a new baby monitor without worrying it could be co-opted by a stranger. It is the assurance that a teenager’s first smartwatch won’t become a tracking device. It is the trust that a home office router can securely guard professional data. By placing the legal onus on manufacturers, the CRA allows consumers to be users, not amateur cybersecurity analysts. It represents a democratisation of digital safety, making it a standard feature, not a premium add-on.

As Norway begins the detailed work of transposing and implementing the Cyber Resilience Act, the path forward involves close dialogue between Nkom, industry stakeholders, consumer advocacy groups, and the academic community. The success of the regulation will hinge on effective enforcement, continuous risk assessment as technology evolves, and clear communication to the public. The 2027 deadline is a starting line, not a finish line, for a new era of digital resilience. In a world where the lines between the physical and digital are irrevocably blurred, Norway is taking a definitive step to ensure that the foundation of its connected society is not just smart, but fundamentally secure and trustworthy.

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References & Further Reading:

1. Norwegian Government Press Release: “Now digital products will be better secured against cyber attacks: – Important step to protect Norwegian consumers.” Regjeringen.no. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/na-skal-digitale-produkter-sikres-bedre-mot-cyberangrep-viktig-steg-for-a-beskytte-norske-forbrukere/id3145644/
2. European Commission Proposal: “Cyber Resilience Act.” Shaping Europe’s digital future, European Commission. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/cyber-resilience-act
3. ENISA (European Union Agency for Cybersecurity): “Baseline Security Recommendations for IoT.” https://www.enisa.europa.eu/publications/baseline-security-recommendations-for-iot
4. Nkom (Nasjonal kommunikasjonsmyndighet): Official website for information on regulations and responsibilities. https://www.nkom.no
5. Academie Study: “The Security of Things: A Survey on IoT Vulnerabilities and a Taxonomy of Attacks.” (Example of empirical research in the field). IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials. (Search via IEEE Xplore or Google Scholar).
6. Norwegian Consumer Council (Forbrukerrådet): Reports on digital rights and consumer security in technology. https://www.forbrukerradet.no
7. Mirai Botnet Analysis: Antonakakis, M., et al. (2017). “Understanding the Mirai Botnet.” Proceedings of the 26th USENIX Security Symposium. https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity17/technical-sessions/presentation/antonakakis