Cybersecurity is a critical issue for organizations across all industries, especially for those that handle sensitive information. The US Department of Defense (DoD) recognizes this and has created the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework to ensure its contractors are implementing strong cybersecurity practices to protect against cyber threats.
Every organization within the Department of Defense (DoD) supply chain—including prime contractors and subcontractors—will be required to achieve at least one of the levels of CMMC compliance to obtain a CMMC compliance certification. According to the DoD, the CMMC compliance requirements and regulations will impact over 300,000 organizations.
The CMMC framework provides a comprehensive set of best practices and standards that organizations must implement to handle and protect controlled unclassified information (CUI) in the supply chain. The certification process is designed to assess and improve the cybersecurity posture of DoD contractors and is divided into five levels of increasing maturity, which organizations must meet in order to achieve certification.
The 5 Levels of CMMC Compliance:
Level 1: Basic Cyber Hygiene
Level 2: Intermediate Cyber Hygiene
Level 3: Good Cyber Hygiene
Level 4: Proactive
Level 5: Advanced/Progressive
Each level builds upon the previous one and requires organizations to implement a greater number of best practices and standards to protect against more advanced cyber threats. By meeting the requirements of each level, organizations demonstrate their commitment to maintaining strong cybersecurity posture and protecting sensitive information.
Level 1 CMMC Compliance Requirements
Level 1 of the CMMC framework requires the implementation of basic cyber hygiene practices to protect against casual and opportunistic cyber threats. The specific certification requirements for Level 1 are divided into 17 domains, which include:
- Access Control
- Awareness and Training
- Incident Response
- Maintenance
- Media Protection
- Personnel Security
- Physical Protection
- Recovery
- Risk Management
- Security Assessment
- System and Communications Protection
- System and Information Integrity
- Configuration Management
- Identification and Authentication
- Incident Reporting
- Continuous Monitoring
Media Sanitation
To achieve Level 1 certification, organizations must demonstrate that they have implemented the practices in these domains to a basic level. This involves having policies and procedures in place, providing awareness and training to personnel, and regularly monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of cybersecurity measures.
How Diamond IT Can Help You Achieve CMMC Compliance
In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is a critical issue for organizations of all sizes. The CMMC framework provides a comprehensive and evolving set of best practices and standards for organizations to follow to ensure they are protecting sensitive information and maintaining strong cybersecurity posture. By meeting the requirements of each level of the CMMC, organizations demonstrate their commitment to cybersecurity and increase their competitiveness in bidding on contracts with the US Department of Defense. Organizations should begin taking steps to implement the basic cyber hygiene practices outlined in Level 1 as soon as possible to be prepared for the increased focus on cybersecurity in the supply chain.
Diamond IT can help. If you need further clarification on CMMC compliance or need help determining where to start, fill out the following form to be contacted by one of our experts.