Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 

The Federal government has specific requirements and regulations regarding the processing, transmitting, and storing sensitive data. These necessitate adherence to the latest cybersecurity frameworks, such as NIST SP800-53 and NIST 800-171. In recent years, these controls and the method by which organizations must demonstrate compliance have significantly changed, concluding in the Cybersecurity Model Certification (CMMC) Framework on January 31, 2020.

The CMMC 2.0 program, released in November 2021, represents the next version of the CMMC cybersecurity model. It simplifies requirements into three levels of cybersecurity and aligns these levels with well-known and widely accepted NIST cybersecurity standards.

The CMMC model plays a crucial role in safeguarding Federal Contract Information (FCI) and
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) shared with department contractors and subcontractors.
FCI refers to non-public information provided or generated for the Government under a contract and
CUI includes government-created or possessed information subject to handling and safeguarding controls.



Building a cybersecurity program involves various areas. The decision to pursue CMMC certification should be a well-informed business decision due to its length and cost.


PROS and CONS of CMMC Certification:
PROS:
1- DoD Contracts
2- Other Government Contracts
3- Cyber Security Risk Reduction

CONS:
1- Consulting Fees
2- Certification Costs
3- Cybersecurity Program Costs



Determining the Required CMMC Level:

CMMC Level 1:
Non-federal organizations processing FCI (Federal Contract Information) must follow the cybersecurity practices at CMMC Level 1, which cover the Basic Safeguarding requirements for FCI.

CMMC Level 2:
Non-federal organizations processing CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) must follow the cybersecurity practices at CMMC Level 2, including security requirements for CUI specified in
NIST SP 800-171 Rev2 per DFARS (Defense Federal Aquisition Regulation Standard)
Clause 252.204-7021.

CMMC Level 3:
Non-federal organizations processing CUI identified as an HVA (High Value Assets), critical program, or required to mitigate APTs (Advanced Persistant Threats) must implement CMMC Level 3, with security requirements specified in NIST SP 800-172.