Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is a cybersecurity program developed by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It is a standard and an industry best practice that organizations dealing with the Department of Defense (DoD) are required to comply with. The framework is designed to measure the defense contractor’s capability, and readiness, in mitigating cybersecurity threats prevailing in the industry. The CMMC Compliance framework is a collection of processes and security implementations of various cybersecurity standards such as NIST, FAR, and DFARS. Achieving CMMC Certification of Compliance simply suggests the level of maturity an organization’s current cybersecurity initiative stands at in the industry. The primary objective of attaining the certification is to improve the security of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Federal Contract Information (FCI) that is in the possession and use of their federal contractors.
Our team helps you build strategies and appropriate Risk Treatment measures to help bridge gaps and strengthen security systems. We also assist you in developing and implementing a data breach management response that can blend with your existing Incident Response Plan.
Our team assesses the system and process against the standard requirements to ensure CMMC compliance.
Our team of experts will conduct User Training programs for all personnel covered in scope on their specific CMMC Compliance responsibilities. Training materials for future use shall be provided.
Develop effective documentation for your organization as per the CMMC requirements.
We will help you build and rollout effective policies and procedures for your organization, pertaining to CMMC Compliance.
After a reasonable gestation period, a separate team of experts conducts a Pre-assessment of your setup and ensures all measures are implemented.
Our team will provide you with complete support and assistance in helping you achieve certification from external auditors.
If required we can extend our continual support by offering you Managed Compliance Services to help your organization stay certified.
Conduct an initial study of the business to understand the business processes, the environment and accordingly consolidate the scope.
Our team spends significant time with your team to determine IT systems and controls that need to be secured and audited.
Assess your organization's current compliance status against the CMMC standard to identify areas that need to be addressed.
Identify your sensitive data and assets, and classify them to create an asset inventory.
Our team conducts a comprehensive Risk Assessment to identify weak areas that could be exploited and lead to an incident of breach.
Yes. November 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced “CMMC 2.0,” an updated program of Cyber Security Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). The below-given table broadly outlines the key changes introduced in the latest version of CMMC 2.0 by the DoD.
Titles | CMMC1.0 | CMMC2.0 |
---|---|---|
Levels |
1. CMMC 1.0 included 5 progressive levels from Basic to Advanced.
2. CMMC Levels 2 and 4 intended as transition stages between Levels 1, 3, and 5. |
CMMC 2.0 includes 3 progressive levels:
• Foundational Level 1 (same as the CMMC 1.0 level 1) • Advanced Level 2 (same as CMMC 1.0 level 3) • Expert Level 3 (same as CMMMC 1.0 level 5) |
Requirements at each level of CMMC |
1. Requirements include cybersecurity standards and maturity processes at each level.
2. Cybersecurity standards consist of certain requirements from NIST SP 800-171 as well as CMMC-unique standards. |
1. Eliminates all maturity processes
2. Eliminates all CMMC unique security practices: • Advanced Level 2 will mirror NIST SP 800-171 (110 security practices) • Expert Level 3 will be based on a subset of NIST SP 800-172 requirements |
Additional Changes in CMMC |
1. Allows annual self-assessments with an annual affirmation by DIB company leadership for CMMC Level 2.
2. Bifurcate CMMC Level 3 requirements to identify prioritized acquisitions that require independent assessment, non-prioritized acquisitions that require annual self-assessment, annual company affirmation. |
From the certification perspective NIST 800-171 Compliance does not offer any certification. For NIST 800-171 Compliance, organizations are simply expected to conduct self-assessments to ensure they meet cybersecurity criteria. So coming to the question that whether CMMC 2.0 requires NIST 800-171 Compliance certification is not applicable. However, CMMC 2.0 is aligned with NIST 800-171 and encompasses all of its requirements including standards for access control, personnel security, risk assessment, security assessments, and more. CMMC 2.0 further includes three new cyber security domains to its standards. So, if you were NIST 800-171 Compliant it would have definitely given your CMMC Compliance project a good head start and made the process simple and quick. But you can directly start with CMMC Version2.0 without having achieved NIST 800-171 compliance.
CMMC 1.0 had 5 levels for the certification process but in the updated new version of CMMC 2.0 there are just 3 levels which includes
• Foundational Level 1 (same as the CMMC 1.0 level 1)
• Advanced Level 2 (same as CMMC 1.0 level 3)
• Expert Level 3 (same as CMMMC 1.0 level 5)
Once CMMC 2.0 is enforced, self-assessments, associated with Level 1 and a subset of Level 2 programs, will be required on an annual basis. While Third-party and government-led assessments, associated with some Level 2 and all Level 3 programs, need to be conducted every 3 years.
Once CMMC 2.0 is enforced, DoD will only accept CMMC assessments by an authorized and accredited C3PAO or certified CMMC Assessor, and C3PAOs shall use only certified CMMC assessors for performing CMMC assessments.
If a DIB company does not process, store, or transmit Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) on its unclassified network, but the process, store or handle Federal Contract Information (FCI), then it must perform a CMMC Level 1 self-assessment and submit the results with an annual affirmation by a senior company official.
The CMMC assessment costs depend on several factors including the CMMC level, and the complexity of the DIB Company’s unclassified network for the certification. But the cost, in general, would start at $25000.