Cybercrime remains a threat for any organisation. But for your business, it can be very difficult to create a perfect IT environment that ensures 100% protection against threats, such as Trojans, ransomware, and phishing. In fact, according to IT Brief, cyber-attacks are rising among Australian businesses, costing them around 1 billion dollars per year.
With that in mind, it is important to rethink your strategies and approaches towards IT security. Now, one good way to help cushion your business or organisation from any cyber threat is getting a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CCMC).
What Is CMMC?
This security framework was created by the United States Department of Defense (US DoD) to assess their contractors’ capability and security to eliminate the vulnerabilities in their supply chain. In a way, it is implemented to protect against intellectual property breaches that could weaken their operations.
Basically, the CMMC stipulates the use of security domains, process monitoring, capability assessment, and other control practices, such as using ITAR compliant file-sharing software, to create risk-proof protection for the DoD and their contractors. Since different contractors are given access to DoD information, they should meet such security requirements.
Which Organisations Should Get a CMMC
A CMMC certification is mandatory for all contractors working with the DoD. Not only does it apply to organisations operating in the US, but it also applies to those in other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and the UK.
The certificate is required from any company, whatever its size, which works on governmental defence contracts and from those involved in the supply chain. Even small businesses not working directly with the DoD but are providing products or services related to defence need to obtain certification to prove they are compliant with the set IT security standards.
What Are the Different CMMC Levels
Basically, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification has five different levels. Depending on the information managed in the contract, you could be required a basic or an advanced maturity level certificate. Here are stipulations for each level.
- Level 1: Also called the Basic Cyber Hygiene, this CMMC level requires your business to implement basic data security measures and practices, such as installing quality antivirus software, using strong passwords, and having a secure Wi-Fi connection.
- Aside from this, it also requires your employees to protect sensitive contract information that should not be shared with anyone outside of your organisation.
- Level 2: This maturity level requires your business to protect controlled unclassified information as stated by the Special Publication 800-171 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST 800-171 r2) by documenting intermediate cybersecurity practices. Like Level 1, this is done to ensure the confidentiality of data that you share under the CMMC government contracting agreement you have with the DoD.
- Level 3: Apart from complying with the requirements stipulated in the NIST 800-171 r2, you should also have a strategy in place to manage controlled unclassified information and implement a quality cybersecurity protocol to safeguard such data.
- To acquire the CMMC Level 3, you need to demonstrate an institutional approach to protect information through a range of practices, such as domain name system (DNS) filtering, spam protection, using ITAR cloud storage solutions, real-time monitoring, using a good data backup and restoration system, and regular risk assessment.
- Level 4: You will be given a Level 4 certification if you have a proactive strategy to address and respond to advanced persistent threats. So, you might need to revisit your current data protection programme and see if it is still effective under this maturity level.
- It is at this level that you need to review and measure your systems for potential vulnerabilities using penetration testing (pentesting) tools and automated scanning solutions.
- Level 5: Needless to say, this is the most advanced model certification. Like the lower-level certifications, it also requires you to implement a proactive approach to protect controlled unclassified information from advanced persistent threats, but the strategy is more in-depth and sophisticated.
Now, to comply with any of the maturity levels, you should first understand what each level requires. So, take your time to do some research and get in touch with point persons to support your application process.
Conclusion
If you want to have a foolproof solution to protect your business from cyberattacks, prevent crucial information from being stolen, and avoid significant losses, then you should get a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. It is even more important to do it if you are directly doing business with the DoD, as it will be a standard requirement. You could not become a prime or sub-contractor without achieving at least one of the CCMC levels.
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