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Cyber Resilience Act

Smart Home Devices and the CRA: Toys, Wearables, and Virtual Assistants

Connected toys, wearables, and smart home assistants face specific CRA requirements. What consumer electronics manufacturers need to know.

Luca Berton6 min read

Consumer-facing smart home products are squarely in the CRA's crosshairs. Three ETSI vertical standards specifically address this category: connected toys (EN 304 633), wearables (EN 304 634), and smart home virtual assistants (EN 304 631).

Connected Toys (EN 304 633)

Internet-connected toys pose unique risks because their users are children. The CRA adds to existing toy safety regulation with specific cybersecurity requirements:

  • No default or weak credentials
  • Parental controls for data sharing
  • Encrypted communications (especially voice/video)
  • Clear end-of-support communication

Personal Wearables (EN 304 634)

Fitness trackers, smartwatches, and health monitors collect sensitive personal data. CRA requirements emphasize:

  • Encrypted storage of health and biometric data
  • Secure pairing mechanisms (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi)
  • Data minimization — only collect what's needed
  • Secure firmware update mechanisms
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Virtual Assistants (EN 304 631)

Alexa, Google Home, and similar devices classified as Important Class I. Key concerns:

  • Always-on microphone security
  • Authentication for sensitive commands (purchases, door locks)
  • Transparency about data processing
  • Local processing options where feasible
cra
smart home
iot
consumer electronics
wearables

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18+ years experience · Ex-Red Hat & Dell · Speaker at KubeCon EU 2026

Luca Berton

Written by

Luca Berton

CEO at Open Empower. 18+ years building enterprise infrastructure at JPMorgan Chase, Red Hat & Dell. Author of 9 technical books. Speaker at Red Hat Summit and KubeCon EU 2026. Instructor on Coursera, Pluralsight & Udemy.

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