Does Your Business Need CMMC Consultants?

The federal government mandated that all U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractors and companies in the defense industrial base adhere to a single cybersecurity policy. Now, companies are hurrying to prepare for the approaching cybersecurity policy rollout. Organizations that store or transmit controlled unclassified information (CUI) can expect to see Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements in DoD contracts in the coming months. If your operation isn’t quite ready for an audit to demonstrate full compliance, it may be prudent to work with CMMC consultants.

An interim rule has already been implemented by the Pentagon, and DoD officials are in the last days of crafting and publishing a final rule. A phased rollout timeline has been loosely outlined by the federal government. This leaves contractors and peripheral military supply chain enterprises enough time to enlist the support of CMMC experts to ensure the business doesn’t get sidelined. But the breadth of the cyber-hygiene regulations and how they apply to various outfits have many rightfully concerned about missing deadlines and failing an audit. If you are unsure whether you need CMMC consultants to shepherd your company through the process and achieve compliance, these are things to consider.

What is CMMC and How Did We Get Here?

The DoD issued its proposed rule on Dec. 26, 2023, which speeds up the need for companies to fully adopt and adhere to the CMMC mandate. The public comment period is underway and will time out on Feb. 26, 2024. In an effort to enhance security across the military industrial base, the Pentagon pulled together the best practices from a variety of applicable cybersecurity standards.

The thinking behind developing a single cybersecurity policy was that it would reduce the number of hacks. Adding mandatory CMMC audits also curbed one of the most problematic aspects of the previous approaches — allowing organizations to self-assess their data security. The federal government found that companies were sometimes lax in their duties to protect sensitive defense data.

This issue came to the surface after rogue nations hacked into systems and stole information that could help them unveil U.S. military secrets and national security plans. Time and time again, the DoD would discover that contractors and supporting outfits failed to meet clearly defined standards. Suspending their participation in lucrative federal contracts could not undo the damage. That’s why the Trump Administration developed the CMMC, and the Biden Administration tweaked it from five cyber-hygiene levels down to the following three in what is now being called CMMC 2.0.

• Level 1: Known as the “foundational” level, companies are expected to provide basic safeguards for digital information regarding military contracts and related data. Businesses must meet stringent guidelines and prove they passed a self-assessment annually.
• Level 2: Considered “advanced” level cybersecurity, organizations must adhere to 110 requirements found in NIST SP 800-171, as well as other controls. Operations that fall within Level 2 could either self-assess and provide the Pentagon with its results annually or undergo a third-party audit every three years. One of the largest issues regarding CMMC 2.0 involves understanding what applies to their entity, whether self-assessment or a third-party audit. The DoD reportedly anticipates approximately 80,000 organizations will need to adhere to Level 2 protocols.
• Level 3: The “expert” cyber-hygiene mandated by this level tasks enterprises with meeting more than 110 of the NIST SP 800-171 and NIST SP 800-172 practices and controls. Reserved for approximately 1,500 military defense contractors and organizations that handle high-level CUI, company leaders will be required to work with a CMMC Third Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO). A thorough systems assessment must be conducted, and the results must be relayed to the DoD. Failing to meet or exceed Level 3 CMMC compliance may result in losing government contracts. Non-compliance could also result in companies being sidelined and unable to bid on the next cycle of DoD work.

It is essential to keep in mind that upwards of 100,000 defense contractors and more than 200,000 companies in the military-industrial base will be impacted by the phased CMMC 2.0 rollout. Industry leaders who are not necessarily in the managed IT and cybersecurity trades are likely to find the complicated cyber-hygiene guidelines and NIST regulations dizzying, to say the least. Even business professionals required to meet Level 1 and 2 rules will need to have a risk assessment performed to better understand their network’s data protection gaps and vulnerabilities. CMMC consultants, who have earned C3PAO status, are the best-suited experts to perform a CMMC assessment in light of the fast-approaching DoD deadlines.

What Companies Need to Know About CMMC 2.0 Assessments

To say the federal government doesn’t make things simple might be something of an understatement, particularly in light of the CMMC 2.0 assessments. The proposed rule, which is quickly heading into its final phases, speaks to three types of evaluations. Self-assessments are reserved for Level 1 companies and some Level 2 operations. Impartial audits performed by a C3PAO apply to Level 2 and 3 operations, while a Certification Assessment by the Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Assessment Center (DIBCAC) is typically required for only Level 3 businesses. Gaining a certificate from a DIBCAC verifies the cybersecurity posture meets 24 advanced controls from the NIST 800-172 framework on top of the 110 controls from NIST 800-171.

Complicated? Confusing? The good news is that Red River earned a passing assessment with a C3PAO (Monarch ISC) and the DIBCAC via a joint surveillance vulnerability assessment and has CMMC consultants to unravel the mystery of the three levels. This might be a more straightforward way to understand what each cyber-hygiene level entails.

Level 1

Companies need basic cyber-hygiene and the ability to restrict access to and protect sensitive data.

Level 2

Organizations are tasked with having a risk assessment performed to determine whether their storage and transmission of CUI meets NIST 800-171 controls. This level has far-reaching implications that may include identifying and securing seemingly harmless Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Products such as Fitbits and sensors, for example, can be used as back doors by hackers to infiltrate networks.

Level 3

Military defense contractors must meet the most rigorous cyber-hygiene protocols. Level 3 is a combination of all 110 NIST 800-171 controls plus a small subset of NIST 800-172 controls.  Few in-house IT departments have the bandwidth or expertise to meet this standard. That’s why companies outsource the process to CMMC consultants, preferably third-party firms that are also qualified C3PAOs.

How Can CMMC Consultants Help Your Organization?

Although the CMMC 2.0 mandate places a heavy burden on defense contractors and supply chain operations, there are clear benefits to earning compliance. For instance, having a CMMC risk assessment performed provides organization leaders with a comprehensive understanding of their cybersecurity posture. The detailed report CMMC consultants compile also includes options for addressing the compliance gaps identified during the assessment. Management teams are, therefore, able to make informed decisions about critical next steps necessary to gain CMMC compliance.

It’s also important to note that CMMC audit and compliance measures harden a company’s entire attack surface. That typically means your operation won’t just be protecting CUI. Valuable and sensitive digital assets unrelated to DoD work can also benefit from enhanced cybersecurity.

The espionage engaged in by advanced persistent threats may be targeting CUI. But garden variety hackers are always on the prowl, looking for weaknesses they can exploit to steal data for profit. Essentially, CMMC consultants help defend against America’s enemies and common thieves as well. These are steps Red River’s CMMC consultants can take to achieve compliance and protect you from all comers.

Conduct a CMMC Audit

As an RPO (Registered Practitioner Organization), our CMMC consultants can perform preliminary audits to help business leaders understand their network’s cybersecurity gaps and vulnerabilities. An initial risk assessment provides invaluable insight into how an operation addresses data protection. This information can be used to craft a policy that improves defensive efforts and threat response.

Map Out Improved Security

As experienced CMMC consultants, we work diligently with management teams and key stakeholders to plan a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. This may involve working with in-house managed IT staff members. Outsourcing portions or all a company’s managed IT and cybersecurity needs can be done in a cost-effective, scalable fashion.

Integrating CMMC-Related Changes

As an RPO, we can provide advisory services and/or MSP services, but we can also implement necessary cybersecurity changes. With a precise understanding of how NIST SP 800-171 and NIST SP 800-172 protocols function, the enhanced security measures are applied with CMMC compliance in mind. This approach can eliminate the possibility of failing a CMMC audit and getting sidelined.

Proactive CMMC Compliance

The federal government started this massive cybersecurity undertaking largely because organizations failed to consistently maintain their defensive posture. Rather than risk getting fined or sidelined from profit-driving DoD work, CMMC consultants can provide scalable ongoing oversight. These generally involve things such as 24/7 monitoring, threat-hunting, technology upgrades and fundamental practices such as endpoint device management, as well as providing staff members with cybersecurity awareness training.

Does Your Business Need CMMC Consultants?

It has been a long and complicated process, and industry leaders are now facing decisions about whether CMMC 2.0 applies to their operations. If so, which cyber-hygiene level will be required? If your company works anywhere in the military industrial base, adhering to CMMC 2.0 is a given. Understanding how to meet the rigorous standards calls for bringing in CMMC consultants who can perform a risk assessment that helps you align best practices, software applications, endpoint security, IoT devices and awareness training, among others, with the impending rollout. To stay in the military industrial base, organizations usually need the help of CMMC consultants to meet the standard and maintain their ongoing cybersecurity defenses.

CONTACT RED RIVER TO GET THE CMMC 2.0 PROCESS STARTED

The cybersecurity experts at Red River help businesses in the military industrial base meet the CMMC 2.0 requirements. If you are concerned about CMMC deadlines or need clarification on your current cybersecurity defenses, call us today or fill out our online contact form. Let’s get the process started!