Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) refers to a system of compliance levels that gives the Department of Defense (DoD) the ability to determine which organizations possess the necessary security practices and procedures to work with controlled or vulnerable data. Contractors that are interested in working on DoD contracts must be CMMC rated and meet the specified compliance level while using CMMC best practices.
The primary goal of CMMC is to determine how mature a company’s existing cybersecurity initiatives are and whether or not the business has the capacity to maintain and optimize its security. There are a total of five levels of CMMC certification, with level 1 being the most basic and level 5 being the most advanced. Levels build upon one another, meaning level 5 organizations must fulfill level 4, level 3, level 2 and level 1 requirements.
CMMC level 5 compliance requires organizations to follow proactive methods to efficiently detect and mitigate cybersecurity threats before they can cause harm. Defense contractors must also have the necessary processes and systems in place to identify gaps, audit infrastructure and resolve issues.
At level 5, the system is in a state of constantly being optimized. Partnering with an experienced IT security compliance firm like SeaGlass Technology can help organizations stay protected against potential security threats and meet CMMC level 5 compliance.
Meeting CMMC Level 5 Requirements
CMMC level 5 signifies the highest achievable level and consists of 15 additional practices. This level requires organizations to meet “advanced” cyber hygiene standards and to optimize their security procedures and processes. Level 5 also focuses on decreasing the risk of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and improving the protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Compared to levels 1 and 3, CMMC level 5 compliance is less common in Requests for Proposals (RFPs). However, many DIB suppliers seeking to adopt critical technologies may see level 5 as essential.
Level 5 of the CMMC framework requires organizations to comply with all 171 practices and 85 processes that have been derived from a variety of sources, such as NIST 800-171, CMMC Working Groups, CERT Resilience CIS Controls v7.1 and others.
A total of eight domains contain level 5 requirements which include important tasks like developing and maintaining a cyber incident response team to investigate problems within 24 hours of an incident, implementing a Wireless Intrusion Detection System (WIDS) and conducting an analysis of network traffic by using a Network Packet Capture solution to record network boundaries.
Achieve CMMC Level 5 Compliance Status Today
CMMC level 5 is the most difficult level to achieve, but it is also the primary objective for defense contractors that wish to bid on new DoD contracts that may require this higher level of certification. Once all 171 practices are implemented, organizations must continually monitor their cybersecurity systems and look for opportunities for improvement.
Working with an experienced IT security compliance firm can help streamline this process. To learn more about CMMC level 5 compliance or to schedule a consultation with an IT security compliance expert, contact SeaGlass Technology at (212) 886- 0790.