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You can publish a basic security.txt file in minutes if your organization already has a monitored vulnerability-reporting contact and an approved policy. The file helps researchers find your disclosure process; it is not itself a Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) requirement or proof of compliance.
What security.txt does—and does not do
RFC 9116 defines security.txt as a machine-readable file intended to help security researchers disclose vulnerabilities. It provides a public route to your organization’s process; it does not receive, triage, investigate, or remediate reports on its own. The standard says the file is intended to help researchers disclose security vulnerabilities. Read RFC 9116.
That distinction matters for the CRA. Annex I, Part II requires manufacturers to have coordinated vulnerability disclosure policies and procedures. A security.txt file can direct researchers to that process, but the regulation does not expressly require the file itself. Publishing a pointer does not establish that the underlying policy, staffing, or procedures satisfy the Act. Consult the CRA text.
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Publish a basic file
This is a quick publishing task only if you have already chosen an accountable owner, a working reporting channel, and an approved disclosure policy. Do not invent contact details, scope, dates, or response promises to fill out a file.
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- Set the host and scope. Decide which exact hostname the file covers. Under RFC 9116, the file applies to the host from which it is retrieved; a file on a main domain does not automatically cover its subdomains. Create a file for each separately covered host.
- Choose a monitored contact. Use a vulnerability-reporting email address, phone number, or web page that someone responsible checks and can act on. The RFC’s required
Contactfield identifies the method researchers should use to report vulnerabilities. - Link the disclosure policy. Add a
Policyfield pointing to a clear policy that explains scope and how reports are handled. RFC 9116 recommends using this directive to provide more detail about the disclosure process. - Set an expiry and renewal owner. An unsigned file must contain exactly one
Expiresfield under the RFC’s grammar. Use a real expiration timestamp and assign someone to renew it before it lapses. - Publish at the standard path. Serve the file over HTTPS at
https://your-domain.example/.well-known/security.txtas UTF-8 encodedtext/plain. The legacy top-level path may redirect, but the well-known path is the standard location; if both exist, use the well-known path. - Verify the live endpoint. Retrieve the published URL and check that it responds as intended, serves plain text with UTF-8 encoding, has the correct host-specific content, and contains valid field values, an unexpired date, and working destinations. This is a practical verification step, not a substitute for operating the process behind the contact.
A file’s actual contents depend on your organization. RFC 9116 and the IANA Security.txt Fields registry describe additional optional fields, including Canonical, Encryption, Preferred-Languages, and Acknowledgments. Include only fields whose values are accurate and useful.
What the CRA requires beyond a contact pointer
The CRA’s coordinated vulnerability disclosure requirement concerns an operating policy and procedure, not just discoverability. Manufacturers need defined ownership for receiving and handling reports, assessing vulnerabilities, coordinating disclosure, and pursuing remediation. The file can help a researcher find the right route, but it does not create those capabilities.
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The Act’s Article 14 reporting duties are a separate track. They concern manufacturers’ notifications of actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe incidents affecting product security, through the single reporting platform. Notifications go to the CSIRT designated as coordinator for the Member State where the manufacturer has its main establishment in the EU, and are simultaneously accessible to ENISA. A public security.txt contact does not replace that platform or the manufacturer’s statutory reporting responsibilities. See Article 14 of the CRA.
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For an actively exploited vulnerability, the manufacturer must submit an early warning without undue delay and within 24 hours of becoming aware of it. A vulnerability notification is due within 72 hours, followed by a final report within 14 days after the vulnerability notification.
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Severe incidents
For a severe incident affecting product security, the early warning is due within 24 hours, the incident notification within 72 hours, and the final report within one month after the incident notification. These are distinct reporting tracks, not one generic CRA deadline.
After becoming aware of an actively exploited vulnerability or severe incident, manufacturers must also inform impacted users and, where appropriate, all users, including relevant mitigation or corrective measures. The Act provides for coordinating-CSIRT helpdesk support for Article 14 reporting, with particular attention to microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises.
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CRA dates to keep in view
Article 14 has applied since 11 September 2026. The CRA applies generally from 11 December 2027, while Chapter IV applies from 11 June 2026. According to the European Commission’s summary, products placed on the market before 11 December 2027 are generally subject to the CRA only if they undergo a substantial modification from that date. Application to an individual product depends on the facts and operative legal text; consult the regulation and current Commission guidance. Read the Commission’s CRA summary and implementation information.
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