Most corporate executives, especially those with contracts with the US Department of Defense, are aware of the need to establish acceptable IT security requirements. The goal of the CMMC program is to unify these criteria across the Defense Industrial Base, effectively eliminating the DFARS 252.204-7012 clause. Here, CMMC consulting services provider can help you achieve your goals.
It is not always apparent what defines acceptable security as the most critical barrier to obtaining a high-level CMMC certification. While the NIST SP 800 171 framework, on which CMMC is based, is clear about which controls you’ll need to attain a high level of security, how you put them in place is mainly up to you.
A security gap analysis entails assessing which controls are presently in place. It will also evaluate the effectiveness of those policies, laying the groundwork for an adequately defined cybersecurity architecture that will showcase your security competencies. A gap analysis will eventually reveal possible weaknesses and aid in the prioritization of remedial efforts. That way, when it’s time for a formal CMMC assessment, you’ll be prepared to acquire the certification level you want.
Here are examples of the most essential concerns that a gap analysis should reveal:
- Inadequate access restrictions
Access restrictions that are too permissive are the devil of any technological or operational architecture. Because the average company currently uses hundreds of linked devices, there are likely to be several single points of breakdown. Many of these are the consequence of insufficient access restrictions or endpoint encryption. During a gap analysis, the auditor may discover devices missing complete access restrictions, such as zero-trust encryption and multifactor authentication.
- Inadequate data storage
Data privacy and security are not the main concerns of CMMC compliance. Integrity and accessibility are also included. Improper data storage offers a security concern and a higher real chance of data loss by accident. To limit risk to your organization and your clients, backup and recovery policies must be comprehensive and well-documented. These regions will be evaluated as gap assessments to guarantee maximum accessibility and data integrity.
- There is no catastrophe response strategy in place.
Data backup and restoration are only two aspects of a disaster response plan. It also provides a consistent way to deal with data breach notifications and cleanup issues. A seemingly trivial occurrence might have far-reaching implications if you don’t have a current disaster response strategy in place. Contract annulments or even lawsuits are examples of this. The CMMC compliance auditor will carefully examine your incident response skills during a gap analysis.
- Network segmentation is insufficient.
Most defense companies do not work only for the Department of Defense but rather for various businesses. Non-defense contractors, on the other hand, may not have to worry about CMMC compliance because it has specific special criteria. Because achieving the best possible security requirements throughout your network may not always be feasible, it is critical to divide your network effectively. To put it another way, all data under CMMC’s control should be confined and segregated rather than dispersed over various systems with multiple node failures.
- A lack of security awareness
The popular belief is that IT security is solely the obligation of the IT division and the CISO. This is just not true, especially in an age when data breaches nearly always include social engineering. Because these frauds may target any employee, everyone should be informed of the danger and held to account. All managers and workers must get a security awareness program. After all, everyone is responsible for security.
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