With the entry into force of the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), its implementing guidelines, and the new European Product Liability Directive, manufacturers and operators of embedded systems are facing a profound technological and organizational transformation. At the same time, system complexity is increasing, driven by the availability of ever more powerful hardware. Embedded Linux offers the opportunity of a homogeneous runtime environment for complex functions and, on this path toward highly critical applications, is experiencing a renewed wave of professionalization.
The 2nd eLSA Symposium (embedded Linux for Safe and Secure Applications), taking place on October 1–2, 2026 in Göttingen, addresses exactly this development — and offers participants practical contributions from industry and academia.
"eLSA picks up on two exciting developments that are initially independent of one another: Linux has recently become capable of providing a homogeneous runtime environment in safety-critical systems. And due to the CRA’s and NIS2‘s regulatory authority, Linux's key strengths in cybersecurity can now be leveraged, integrated, and applied to lifecycle maintenance in a systematic and standards-compliant manner“, says Michael Armbruster, member of the eLSA Reviewing Committee.
In practice, however, these two aspects are by no means separate: embedded Linux is finding its way into an increasing number of software architectures in critical domains. The principle here is clear: safety without security is ineffective. And through the consolidation of deployed hardware and runtime environments, embedded Linux is advancing into the safety context.
The symposium therefore focuses on the question of what is (and will be) relevant for products and development projects using embedded Linux, which architectural approaches are suitable, which tools and processes are helpful, and how regulatory requirements can be implemented efficiently while adding value to products.
Participants will gain inspiration, new ideas, and concrete solutions for their daily work, covering topics including:
- Embedded Linux in the context of functional safety
- CRA- and RED-compliant use of embedded Linux in industrial applications
- AI integration in embedded Linux projects
- Trustworthiness in the context of IEC 62443 and further standards such as EN 18031
- Lifecycle aspects for embedded Linux with safety and security requirements
- Case studies from various domains (robotics, medical, …)
- Open source compliance and governance
The event is aimed at all those who are developing today the solutions that must meet tomorrow's regulatory requirements for security, functional safety, high data integrity (legal metrology, WELMEC), and long-term maintainability. The focus is on concrete technical solutions and new approaches from industry and research in the field of embedded Linux and open source software within a regulatory context.
For the second time, the eLSA Symposium 2026 creates a shared platform for developers, architects, safety and security engineers, and product managers, as well as researchers from relevant departments and active members of open source communities. Building on the great success of the first eLSA Symposium in 2025, the rapid evolution of embedded Linux for highly critical applications will once again be captured and explored over two days of presentations, with ample opportunity for exchange at a high professional level.
