Cyber-Secure Systems By Design: shaping the future of secure digital products

The challenge: rising threats in a digital world

As our society becomes increasingly digital, the systems we rely on — from smart home devices to critical infrastructure — are growing more complex, interconnected, and exposed. At the same time, the number and sophistication of cyberthreats continue to rise. Traditional, reactive approaches to cybersecurity are no longer enough.

To protect business continuity, safeguard innovation, and reduce costly product recalls or updates, we must shift to cyber-resilient systems that are designed to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to cyber incidents.

The shift we need: Secure by Design

The future of secure digital systems lies in embedding cybersecurity from the very start of product development — not as an afterthought. This “shift-left” approach is not only more effective but is rapidly becoming a regulatory requirement.

With the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), the European Commission is mandating that all products with digital elements sold in Europe must be secure by design and by default by 2027. For manufacturers, this is both a challenge and an opportunity to innovate and differentiate.

TNO’s role: empowering industry through research and collaboration

Through our Exploratory Research Programme (ERP) Cyber-Secure Systems by Design, TNO is driving this transition. We are developing the knowledge, tools, and partnerships needed to make cybersecurity an integral part of product and systems engineering. Our research focuses on five key areas:

1. Seamless integration of cybersecurity into existing system design and engineering practices
2. Human-centric design approaches to make cybersecurity practical, understandable, and adoptable
3. Building the business case: demonstrating the economic value of cybersecurity-by-design
4. Self-healing systems with capabilities to detect, respond to, and recover from attacks autonomously
5. Automated security testing to detect and eliminate vulnerabilities early in development

Join the movement: collaboration is key

The research programme lays the foundation for future innovation through strong collaboration with industry, academia, and government. We established advisory councils with leading manufacturers and academic experts to guide our direction and ensure relevance and impact.

Get involved

TNO invites forward-looking partners to join us in shaping the transition to secure-by-design products and systems. Whether you are a manufacturer preparing for the CRA, a technology provider, or a policymaker, we welcome your expertise and collaboration.