In the evolving global cybersecurity landscape, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification has emerged as a critical framework for safeguarding sensitive information within the defense industrial base. Developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, CMMC aims to enhance the protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI) from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. This article discusses CMMC within the… Read More
Unified compliance management has become a critical focus of modern security because it helps organizations adhere to multiple industry standards and regulations–a situation that is more common than one might think. For business and technology decision-makers, understanding the intricacies of compliance is crucial to keep their organizations compliant, agile, and within budget. We will discuss… Read More
Small and medium-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable due to limited IT and security resources and expertise, which can hinder their ability to build software for government agencies and contractors. Standards exist to help these businesses stay in the game and remain competitive in a crowded software market, however. Specifically, the Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF).… Read More
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework aims to enhance the protection of sensitive data across the defense industrial base. Understanding and implementing CMMC is vital for business decision-makers to safeguard their increasingly vulnerable digital supply chains. This article discusses the importance of CMMC in supply chain security and provides actionable insights for enhancing your… Read More
Two years ago, we wrote about the emerging zero-day exploit Log4Shell and its impact on various systems. A new report from Skybox Security (covering vulnerability trends in 2023) calls this exploit the top vulnerability of the year. This article will revisit the Log4Shell exploit and how it has played out since our last coverage.
The new CMMC rule proposal is out, and some organizations are getting their first introductions to the cost of doing business in the federal sector. This new rule includes several estimates for the total costs of adopting the framework for small and larger businesses. But is this the final word? We break down some of… Read More
With Executive Order 14028’s requirements coming into effect, government agencies and their software partners are looking for ways to meet these stringent requirements. These include managing system security across all potential attack vectors, including those introduced during the development cycle. Here, we discuss how the Secure Software Development Framework is a good baseline for approaching… Read More
Across government and private organizations, the need to match records and confirm death has become a major concern. People who take out credit or receive benefits do so because they are living, and once they pass, there must be a way to align the state of their benefits and finances. This is where the NTIS… Read More
Business decision-makers can only talk about AI. This seemingly ubiquitous solution introduces several quality-of-life capabilities and significant cybersecurity issues. Here, we touch on Executive Order 14110 and how it addresses this issue for government agencies and contractors.
The Secure Software Development Framework, outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-218, provides guidelines and best practices to enhance the security and integrity of software development processes. NIST developed it to help organizations implement secure software development practices and mitigate risks associated with software vulnerabilities.
Modern industry relies heavily on automation and control systems to maintain efficiency, productivity, and safety. With the increasing integration of these systems into broader networks, the risk of cyberattacks has significantly grown. ISASecure, a globally recognized cybersecurity certification program, is a critical certification body providing standards and assessments to protect these integral systems against modern… Read More
Insider threats are a massive problem due in no small part to the prevalence of apps, accounts, and systems that employees have to plug into daily. Once you’ve let an employee go, there’s no accounting for how they can steal data using their old credentials… unless you have a proper offboarding plan. Here, we discuss… Read More
Hardware, operating systems, software and apps, and third-party platforms are all components of your IT infrastructure, including its operating procedures and settings. Misconfiguration of these components can have ripple effects across an entire network, so investing time and effort into configuration management is critical. Here, we cover secure configuration management and why it’s essential for… Read More
Like any other agency, the IRS works with a network of technology providers and third parties to support its mission of managing sensitive financial data. These relationships present unavoidable security risks. IRS 4812 helps address these security challenges by outlining security requirements and best practices for contractors working with the IRS to handle specific forms of… Read More
IT providers meeting the strict requirements of CMMC might assume that they are secure enough to withstand most threats. The truth is that while CMMC is an end goal for many compliance strategies, it can also complement more resilient security approaches, like Zero Trust. Here, we discuss what it means to consider implementing Zero Trust… Read More
CMMC is already a comprehensive framework that the DoD uses to secure its digital supply chain. The maturity model includes three levels corresponding to the increasingly deep incorporation of NIST controls targeting the protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), specifically from Special Publications 800-171 and 800-172. Organizations meeting CMMC requirements, therefore, meet the standards required… Read More
We’ve talked quite a bit about the technical compliance requirements in this space, and IT and security support are the most critical parts of your CMMC strategy. However, business leadership is the backbone of ongoing compliance strategies (and their success). Business leaders set the tone for compliance strategies, prioritizing organizations’ resources and attention to ensure… Read More
Starting in Q1 2025, software providers in the DoD supply chain must align their security with CMMC 2.0 standards. While many enterprise customers have been spending that past year getting ready, the reality is that most businesses don’t share this level of preparedness–specifically, small businesses. Meeting the challenges of a complex framework like CMMC can… Read More
CMMC is a crucial framework developed by the Department of Defense to enhance the cybersecurity posture of contractors within the Defense Industrial Base. The CMMC model is crucial for organizations dealing with Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) because it ensures that these entities meet specific cybersecurity requirements to protect sensitive information. More likely than not, however,… Read More
Generative AI is in the news, as usual. However, one of the big pushes we’re seeing lately is how the practices used by AI providers like OpenAI may violate user privacy. This, of course, is a big no-no for jurisdictions like the EU. Here, we’re dipping into the world of AI to talk about the… Read More
We are big believers in packaging your compliance needs into a single, effective standard within your organization. It doesn’t make any sense to double up on work, and streamlining compliance across multiple standards makes your efforts better and faster. In light of that, we’re discussing how you can streamline some of your existing ISO compliance… Read More
In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is not just a technical necessity but a critical compliance requirement. Organizations worldwide face rigorous regulations to safeguard sensitive data and maintain public trust. The Common Criteria certification is a pivotal standard in cybersecurity compliance among these regulatory frameworks. This article will discuss how CC plays a role in other,… Read More
We use “the digital supply chain” regularly because enterprise and government businesses rely heavily on it. The relationships between vendors, cloud providers, software, and customers are so deeply intertwined that it’s impossible to avoid the big picture–that security is a complex activity that can span dozens of entities. A recently discovered flaw in the R… Read More
We’ve previously written about the importance of NVLAP Common Criteria accreditation for lab testing and validating products for use in high-risk industries. It’s probably unsurprising that we are markedly interested in cybersecurity labs’ requirements. Here, we’re discussing NVLAP Common Criteria accreditation for cybersecurity labs–what it is, how it is unique for assessed labs, and some… Read More