Monday, August 15, 2022
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Industry officials are frustrated by the Biden administration's pace for nominating and appointing key Defense Department positions such as under secretary for acquisition and sustainment, arguing the vacancies will likely slow regulatory and policy decisions for the Pentagon's cybersecurity certification program.
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body is formalizing plans to launch the official program that will establish a pathway for assessors to become certified and expects classes to start in November, according to CMMC-AB training lead Melanie Kyle Gingrich.
Former Pentagon leaders are urging the Defense Department to consider how the zero-trust concept could be used to strengthen technological security across the department, in a new report from a leading defense association.
The Defense Department's work to complete the final rule for its cyber certification program has hit a snag in the review process, as officials work to provide a draft report to a key DOD regulations council.
U.S. officials today attributed the Microsoft Exchange hack to Chinese entities as part of a coordinated effort by the Justice and State departments, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, intelligence agencies and international allies to detail how Chinese state-backed actors were able to infiltrate U.S. networks over the past few years and begin imposing consequences.
Stakeholders watching the Pentagon's cyber certification program say they see an opportunity for reciprocity in a section of a May cyber executive order that calls for the modernization of a separate civilian agency certification program dedicated to authorizing services for government use from cloud service providers.
The accreditation body behind the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is moving quickly to get the first assessment organizations prepared to conduct audits, according to CMMC-AB CEO Matthew Travis, who says he understands industry concerns over delays and how to scale the program under the initial timeline set by the Defense Department.
Microsoft is working to provide documentation for its managed security service provider partners and cloud users who want to get ready for assessment under the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, according to a company executive.
The internal review of the Defense Department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is aimed at helping small businesses meet the department's objectives for cyber readiness, while also making potential policy changes to clarify implementation, according to Pentagon industrial policy leader Jesse Salazar.
Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body board Chairman Karlton Johnson says his organization is not slowing down its activities in support of the Defense Department's cyber certification program, and denied reports that the CMMC-AB is taking a "strategic pause" during ongoing governmental reviews of the program.
The Defense Department expects to issue the final rule to implement its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program in September, according to a recent update from the Office of Management and Budget.
The first authorized, certified third-party assessment organization has entered the marketplace to conduct official audits for defense contractors who want to become certified under the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program.
The independent accreditation body behind the Defense Department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program is looking for an individual to serve as "Director of Security and Compliance," a new position created to liaise with the Pentagon on security matters and the latest move by the accreditation authority to transition to a full-time professional staff.
The Intelligence and National Security Alliance says a proposed Defense Department cyber threat hunting program should include liability protections for defense industrial base companies and support to help small businesses participate.
Final regulations for the Pentagon's cyber certification program are expected in the fall with potentially substantial policy and structural changes, says contracting attorney Robert Metzger, who suggests adjustments to the interim final rule make sense given the intense scrutiny on the program and leadership changes at DOD.
The National Security Agency is taking up its mandate to establish capabilities for robust information sharing between industry and government as part of the Biden executive order designed to bolster the security of federal networks and strengthen relationships with industry.
The General Services Administration will allow civilian federal agencies to decide whether to include requirements from the Pentagon's cyber certification program in individual contracts that utilize GSA offerings for facilitating their information technology purchases.
The Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program needs to do more to help small businesses reach compliance, senators said Tuesday at a hearing on cybersecurity in the defense industrial base.
The Biden administration has released an executive order in response to recent supply chain attacks with an immediate focus on securing federal networks through prevention and mitigation measures and incentivizing the commercial software market to improve its security practices.
Training committee chair Ben Tchoubineh this week departs the accreditation body responsible for establishing an assessment ecosystem for the Pentagon's cyber certification program, and says he's leaving behind a solid foundation for the training of assessors and the preparation of future instructors.