The upcoming EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is set to reshape how the industry approaches industrial cybersecurity. It shifts security from a single compliance check to a continuous product life-cycle specification, emphasizing built-in security and continuous vulnerability management.

For machine builders and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), this shift presents a major challenge: they must implement robust network controls at the machine perimeter to strengthen machine security and address emerging regulatory requirements. In practice, integrating these secure machines into end-user facilities with varying levels of network maturity can introduce IP address conflicts with existing customer networks and cause commissioning delays when changes to the network architecture are required. To prevent engineering overhead from escalating, machine builders must adopt a versatile, standardized network interface strategy. Implementing perimeter defenses tailored to each plant environment enables machine manufacturers to strengthen security without disrupting established production workflows.

Most modern facilities have robust central firewalls and stringent network segmentation in place for customers. Typically, network administrators in these environments mandate that the new machine adheres to established IP policies. This usually means machine builders must rewrite PLC code and update HMIs to align with the plant’s subnet, breaking their standardized machine design and delaying commissioning. Instead of altering the machine's internal configuration, machine builders can deploy the NAT-G102 Series at the machine boundary. Using its 1:1 Network Address Translation (NAT) functionality, machine builders can standardize internal IP addresses across their machines while translating them to the plant's designated external IPs. This approach helps resolve IP conflicts and simplifies the integration process. Moreover, the NAT-G102 hides the machine’s internal network layout from external access, establishing a fundamental security perimeter. This complements the plant’s existing architecture by assigning edge-level isolation to the NAT device and deep security filtering to the primary firewall, thereby achieving an efficient division of network functions.

Scenario B: Securing Machines in Legacy or Flat Networks

Many brownfield facilities, however, lack proper network segmentation, operating on flat networks that leave newly integrated machines vulnerable to lateral threat movement. Furthermore, directly updating the firmware of critical HMIs or PLCs to meet vulnerability management requirements throughout the machine's life cycle often carries a high risk of operational downtime.

For these diverse environments, machine builders can deploy the EDF-G1002-BP industrial firewall to enable micro-segmentation. Using Layer 2 Transparent Bridge mode, machine builders can place the firewall directly in front of critical assets. This allows for the rapid creation of a dedicated security perimeter without changing IP architecture or routing. The firewall uses Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and an industrial Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to protect unpatchable systems. With this, the firewall can inspect industrial protocol traffic and block malicious packets that exploit network layer vulnerabilities.

This virtual patching feature greatly helps with vulnerability management requirements. It significantly lowers the operational risks for machine builders by providing a crucial buffer when immediate patching of critical control systems is not possible. Machine builders can protect key assets from threats moving across the network and help maintain ongoing production by creating a clear security boundary, without needing to overhaul their current network architecture.

Streamlining Post-deployment Maintenance and Vulnerability Governance

The CRA mandates not only secure products but also continuous vulnerability management throughout the product life cycle. Once a machine is operational, requiring machine builders or end users to perform manual, device-by-device updates across the plant incurs significant labor costs and increases the risk of human error.

Moxa provides intuitive, centralized management software to help machine builders easily navigate post-deployment maintenance. With MXview One network management software, administrators can use a centralized management interface to perform batch firmware updates and configuration backups for Moxa’s devices distributed across the facility, significantly reducing maintenance time. For the EDF-G1002-BP, MXsecurity centrally manages firewall rules and batch-deploys the latest IPS security patterns, ensuring defenses remain up-to-date against emerging threats.

By leveraging these centralized software tools, machine builders empower end users or their own maintenance teams to conduct regular security updates with high efficiency. Not only does this support strong vulnerability governance from machine conception to retirement, but it also contributes to lowering long-term operational costs (OPEX).

Building Future-ready, Cyber-resilient Machines

Navigating the CRA era does not mean abandoning standardized machine designs or taking on unpredictable maintenance burdens. By using a flexible network boundary approach with NAT devices and transparent firewalls as core components, machine builders can develop secure, resilient, and low-maintenance solutions adaptable to various plant configuration.

Are you ready to standardize your machine security and simplify post-deployment maintenance? Explore the Moxa Secure Networking Selection Guide today to find the exact combination of industrial firewalls, NAT devices, and network management software for your next project.