The DoD requires all military personnel, contractors, and other individuals who come into contact with CUI to complete formal training on how to protect it. Third-party staff need to understand marking requirements, decontrol procedures, reporting protocols, and more.
CMMC
Organizations that work with US government agencies have to follow various NIST frameworks to secure sensitive data. NIST incident response is spelled out in NIST SP 800-61, which also informs incident response protocols in other NIST frameworks needed for DoD compliance.
Organizations that work with the US military need to prove their security maturity with the CMMC framework. Preparation requires knowing the framework inside and out, scoping out what Level of compliance you need, and then implementing it and getting ready for assessment.
Working with the US Department of Defense (DoD) is an attractive opportunity for contractors in various industries. There is honor in working with the largest, most powerful military, and achieving “preferred contractor” status can also be lucrative. That said, it’s not easy to achieve this status. You’ll need to be compliant with regulatory frameworks and keep abreast of every update published by the DoD, such as the most recent one on how to safeguard CUI or controlled unclassified information.
Sensitive information that could impact the safety of US citizens is often classified by the US government. But beyond formally classified documents, there are other kinds of data that are similarly sensitive and need to be protected. These are grouped under the term Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), which can be Basic or Specified. So, what is CUI Basic?
Organizations that work closely with the US government need to take special precautions to safeguard data that government agencies deem sensitive. One of the most common kinds of data that needs protecting is Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). And CUI Specified is some of the most tightly regulated CUI. So, what is CUI Specified, and how can you secure it?
For Department of Defense (DoD) entities and contractors, annual information awareness training is essential to minimizing information security risks to the critical infrastructure they handle. Unaddressed threats to sensitive data within critical infrastructure could significantly impact national security. Read on to learn more.
DoD Compliance, Explained: NIST 800-53 Rev 4, 800-171, and CMMC
To secure Department of Defense (DoD) and other government contracts, organizations must demonstrate compliance with specific frameworks that help protect federal contract information (FCI) and controlled unclassified information (CUI), such as CMMC 2.0 and NIST SP 800-171. NIST SP 800-53 Rev 4 provides a complementary framework, but it’s not mandatory like the other two. Still, SP 800-53 substantially informs and maps to SP 800-171 and CMMC 2.0.
In November 2021, the DoD overhauled the Cybersecurity Model Maturity Certification (CMMC) program, leaving many Defense Industrial Base (DIB) organizations wondering whether they will still need to comply. But the question of who needs CMMC certification is less important than its corollary: which Level of CMMC certification do organizations need? The kinds of sensitive data involved in a current or prospective DoD contractor’s scope of work will determine what Level they need to meet and what controls they need to implement to do so—sooner rather than later.
Guide to NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, and NIST SP 800-53 Compliance
If your organization works with government entities as a contractor, you probably have some questions about NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, or even NIST SP 800-53 compliance. Below, we’ll answer questions like what is NIST SP 800 171, how does CMMC differ from it, and what are NIST 800-53 controls? Understanding the answers to these questions covers most everything you need to know for the DoD compliance efforts necessary to secure lucrative contracts with the military and other agencies.