(Newswire.net — February 2, 2021) — With news of Russia hacking government agencies still making waves, the importance of strong cybersecurity has never been more apparent. This is especially true of contractors and sub-contractors seeking work with the federal government. “Cybersecurity vulnerabilities are coming under closer scrutiny than ever before,” says Charles Johnson, president of cybersecurity at Corsica Technologies.
“Hackers are constantly devising new ways to gain access to the information they want, and that means several redundancies are needed to keep data secure. Recent events only prove that point. Failure to comply with CMMC standards can have big consequences for contractors down the line.”
Understanding and properly navigating CMMC and NIST 800-171 protocols will prove essential for government contractors.
What Are CMMC and NIST 800-171?
“One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding CMMC and NIST 800-171 is that they are essentially the same thing,” Johnson notes. “While they are closely related, they are distinct. NIST 800-171 is a series of cybersecurity standards that the government wants all of its contractors to adopt to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI). CMMC refers to a certification or auditing process that confirms whether a contractor is enacting all necessary security protocols. Some CMMC levels actually go beyond NIST 800-171 standards.”
There are actually five levels of CMMC compliance. At level two, slightly over half of NIST 800-171 controls have been addressed. At level three, all NIST 800-171 protocols are in place. Contractors who achieve level four or five certification have enacted controls from several additional frameworks, providing the most robust level of security.
“NIST 800-171 protocols are meant to ensure that contractors are taking appropriate actions against all cyber threats,” Johnson notes. “However, because so few contractors were following these protocols, CMMC was introduced as a way of auditing contractors to determine who the government should or shouldn’t contract with.”
As the relationship between NIST 800-171 and CMMC reveals, the government’s standards aren’t a “ceiling” for contractor cybersecurity. Instead, they represent the minimum requirement that the government will demand from contractors moving forward.
A Growing List of Organizations That Need to Be Compliant
The biggest news regarding CMMC has been in relation to the Department of Defense, which has notified contractors that by the year 2026, all Department of Defense contracts will require CMMC.
In fact, the first pilot contracts requiring a level three CMMC audit are being introduced in 2021 for contractors involved in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and Missile Defense Agency.
However, these are far from the only groups that need to comply with NIST 800-171 standards.
“Contractors for the General Services Administration or NASA, universities that are getting support from federal grants, manufacturing companies that supply goods to federal agencies — the list goes on and on,” Johnson says. “If you provide a service for a federal agency or have a federal contract, you can expect that the government will want you to meet these compliance standards sooner or later.”
Ever since NIST 800-171 standards were introduced in 2018, government contractors have essentially been put on notice that they need to improve their approach to cybersecurity. Though new threats are emerging all the time, taking these much-needed steps to improve the handling of digital data can go a long way in mitigating these persistent issues.
Achieving Compliance
The list of controls involved in NIST 800-171 is extensive. It includes access control, awareness and training, audits and accountability for CUI access and configuration management.
CMMC also requires that contractors have an incident response plan in place, as well as plans for system maintenance and physical protection of any equipment that houses CUI. Contractors must perform risk assessments and security assessments, including evaluating the potential for insider threats.
All of this is designed to create a robust security system that protects the integrity and confidentiality of the information and the network. Needless to say, there are a lot of steps contractors need to take to ensure that their equipment and networks are compliant.
“One of the biggest challenges contractors are facing right now is that the government wants a third-party audit performed to ensure NIST 800-171 protocols are being followed,” Johnson explains. “However, this also presents a big opportunity. Working with a compliance specialist ensures that nothing is missed. They can identify if you are complaint with all controls, or where improvements need to be made to achieve CMMC level three.”
Johnson says contractors should view CMMC audits as a long-term investment. Not only does getting up to speed on NIST 800-171 requirements preserve future government contracts, but it also significantly reduces the risk for data breaches or insider threats. Contractors are able to achieve a scalable approach to cybersecurity that uses a common framework and methodology.
Security for the Future
While achieving compliance with CMMC and NIST 800-171 standards won’t necessarily stop every cyber attack, it can greatly reduce a contractor’s risk of having their data compromised. Adherence to these standards will help government contractors avoid significant losses — not the least of which is their contract.
By increasing cybersecurity standards and submitting to a CMMC audit, contractors can have confidence that their data — and the future of their work — is secure.