CUI | The Contracting Education Academy

September 12, 2019 By cs

DoD releases public draft of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, seeks industry input

On September 4, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition released Version 0.4 of its draft Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for public comment.

The CMMC was created in response to growing concerns by Congress and within DoD over the increased presence of cyber threats and intrusions aimed at the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and its supply chains. In its overview briefing for the new model, DoD describes the draft CMMC framework as a “unified cybersecurity standard” for DoD acquisitions that is intended to build upon existing regulations, policy, and memoranda by adding a verification component to cybersecurity protections for safeguarding Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) within the DIB.

As discussed in a prior post, the model describes the requirements that contractors must meet to qualify for certain maturity certifications, ranging from Level 1 (“Basic Cyber Hygiene” practices and “Performed” processes) through Level 5 (“Advanced / Progressive” practices and “Optimized” processes), with such certification determinations to generally be made by third party auditors.

The CMMC establishes a new framework for defense contractors to become certified as cybersecurity compliant. DoD has stated that it intends to release Version 1.0 of the CMMC framework in January 2020 and will begin using that version in new DoD solicitations starting in Fall 2020. Notwithstanding the pendency of these deadlines, a large number of questions remain outstanding. DoD is seeking feedback on the current version of the model by September 25, 2019.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.insidegovernmentcontracts.com/2019/09/dod-releases-public-draft-of-cybersecurity-maturity-model-certification-and-seeks-industry-input/

June 6, 2019 By AMK

People are key to securing the defense-industrial supply chain

Infiltrating the defense supply chain is one of the most insidious means by which attackers can compromise our nation’s communications and weapons systems. Successfully targeting a single component of the defense industrial base can cause a ripple effect that can significantly impact everything from data centers to war fighters in theater.

The Department of Defense’s new “Deliver Uncompromised” security initiative is designed to tackle this problem at its root cause: third-party suppliers. In essence, the DoD is requiring its suppliers to bake security into their applications from the beginning of the production process. A “good enough” approach that just clears the bar for minimal security criteria is no longer good enough. Security must be ingrained in the very fabric of the entire production process.

Security starts with people

The process starts with people. They are responsible for ensuring that the solutions that comprise the supply chain work as designed and are inherently secure. They work closely with highly sensitive and proprietary information that is attractive to enterprising hackers. They are the first line of defense.

Unfortunately, those same factors make people the most attractive attack vector. When a malicious actor wants to gain access to a component or system, it’s often easier to just steal someone’s credentials than it is to try and find their way around a firewall. Obtaining a simple password is often enough to gain access to a critical system that can then be compromised, or information that can be exploited.

Keep reading article at: https://www.fifthdomain.com/opinion/2019/05/13/people-are-key-to-securing-the-defense-industrial-supply-chain/

October 2, 2017 By AMK

DFARS cyber compliance deadline is approaching

Many people are unaware that a significant number of U.S. companies are subject to regulations that share some similarities with the European General Data Protection Regulation (which has companies that handle European data scrambling to get into compliance).

Specifically, government contractors have obligations pursuant to Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 252.204-7000 et. seq.

The DFARS regulations were adopted in October 2016 when the U.S. Department of Defense issued a final rule. (See 82 Fed. Reg. 72986 Oct. 21, 2016, available here.)

Entities subject to the provisions were given until Dec. 31, 2017, to comply with certain aspects as discussed below. If your organization is a contractor or subcontractor that handles “controlled unclassified information” (see here) you need to make sure your house is in order to comply.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.law360.com/articles/968247/dfars-cyber-compliance-deadline-is-approaching

On September 4, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition released Version 0.4 of its draft Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for public comment.

Many people are unaware that a significant number of U.S. companies are subject to regulations that share some similarities with the European General Data Protection Regulation (which has companies that handle European data scrambling to get into compliance).

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