CMMC

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. 

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?

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.

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.

In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) introduced major updates to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification(CMMC) program. These changes left many organizations in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) wondering: Do we still need to comply with CMMC certification requirements?

The short answer is yes, but the more important question is which Level of CMMC certification applies to your organization. The required Level depends on the type of sensitive data you handle in your current or prospective DoD contracts. Understanding this distinction is critical, as it determines the cybersecurity controls you must implement—and how soon you need to meet them.

If your company currently works closely with the Department of Defense (DoD) or plans to begin a lucrative partnership with the military, you will soon need to acquaint yourself with a managed security service provider (MSSP) that’s been vetted by the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body (CMMC AB). There are many such organizations and many different kinds you’ll find on the CMMC AB Marketplace.

In an instant, an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) can destroy a company by gaining access to vulnerable corporate and client information. It may take years to build a company from the ground up. But it will only require a minute to bring it crashing to the ground.

Companies that want to work with the Department of Defense (DoD) need to ramp up their cybersecurity to protect service members and American citizens worldwide. In practice, this means implementing certified security frameworks like the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), published by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD–A&S). CMMC compliance software tools are necessary investments to get started.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) governs the US government’s acquisitions and selects contractors that work with its agencies. Companies that work with the military fall under the jurisdiction of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). In 2020, an update to DFARS introduced new standards for testing these companies’ security. Read on to have the DFARS interim rule explained comprehensively.

In order to work with the US Department of Defense (DoD), companies need to strengthen their cyberdefenses to avoid compromising the security of our armed forces and, by extension, all Americans. Doing so requires complying with Special Publication 800-171, a publication of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Following all NIST SP 800 171 requirements is just the first step toward DoD preferred contractor status.