Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification CMMC 2.0
CMMC establishes a unified cybersecurity standard to safeguard DoD data handled by contractors, addressing vulnerabilities in the supply chain and ensuring compliance with federal regulations.
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is a unified standard for implementing cybersecurity across the defense industrial base (DIB) sector.
It is designed to enhance the protection of sensitive information and ensure the security of controlled unclassified information (CUI) within the supply chain.
Due to ever-increasing cyber-attacks, if a contractor or subcontractor wants to participate in the DoD supply chain moving forward, they will have to prove their CMMC compliance or risk losing their government contracts.
In an industry where the compliance process is long and the market of assessors is far fewer than needed, taking a proactive approach is a must. In this webinar join CISO Global’s Gary Perkins, Baan Alsinawi, Tom Cupples, and special Guest Ben Bryan on February 21st as they discuss CMMC 2.0, the new rules and guidelines that come with it, and what your compliance timeline may look like.
Key Components of CMMC
CMMC establishes a unified cybersecurity standard to safeguard DoD data handled by contractors, addressing vulnerabilities in the supply chain and ensuring compliance with federal regulations.
Introduced in 2020, CMMC replaced the self-attestation model of NIST SP 800-171 with a third-party assessment approach. The latest iteration, CMMC 2.0 (announced in November 2021), streamlined the framework to reduce complexity and cost while maintaining robust security.
- Levels of Certification: CMMC consists of five maturity levels that define the cybersecurity practices and processes required for organizations to achieve compliance.
- Domains and Capabilities: CMMC covers 17 domains and 171 cybersecurity capabilities that organizations must implement based on their level of certification.
- Third-Party Assessment: Organizations seeking CMMC certification must undergo a third-party assessment to validate their compliance with the required cybersecurity practices.
CMMC applies to all organizations in the DIB that handle FCI or CUI, including prime contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers bidding on DoD contracts.
Importance of CMMC
The CMMC is a critical framework for securing the DoD’s supply chain by enforcing standardized cybersecurity practices across the DIB. With its three-tiered structure, alignment with NIST standards, and focus on third-party assessments, CMMC 2.0 balances security with practicality.
For organizations using FedRAMP-authorized clouds like Microsoft 365 GCC High, CMMC compliance is streamlined, but comprehensive preparation is essential. As CMMC becomes mandatory in DoD contracts, organizations must align their cybersecurity practices to remain competitive and protect sensitive data.
CMMC plays a crucial role in strengthening the cybersecurity posture of organizations in the DIB sector by:
- Protecting Sensitive Information: CMMC helps safeguard sensitive data and intellectual property from cyber threats and breaches.
- Enhancing Supply Chain Security: By requiring cybersecurity standards across the supply chain, CMMC ensures a higher level of security for defense contracts.
- Improving Cyber Resilience: Organizations that achieve CMMC certification are better prepared to prevent, detect, and respond to cybersecurity incidents.
Steps to Achieve CMMC Certification:
- Evaluate Current Practices: Assess your organization’s existing cybersecurity practices and identify gaps that need to be addressed.
- Implement Necessary Controls: Implement the cybersecurity controls and processes required for the specific level of CMMC certification you are targeting.
- Engage with Third-Party Assessors: Work with accredited third-party assessors to undergo a formal assessment of your cybersecurity practices.
- Receive Certification: Upon successful completion of the assessment, your organization will receive the appropriate level of CMMC certification.
Overall, CMMC is a critical framework that aims to standardize cybersecurity practices within the DIB sector and enhance the overall security posture of organizations involved in defense contracts.
Microsoft Solution
Microsoft offers a solution for CMMC 2.0, documented in detail here.
This solution enables Compliance Teams, Architects, SecOps Analysts, and Consultants to gain situational awareness for cloud workload security posture. It is designed to augment staffing through automation, visibility, assessment, monitoring and remediation, and includes (1) Workbook for build/design/assessment/reporting, (2) Analytics rules for monitoring and (3) Playbooks for response/remediation.
