Your 10-Point Checklist For A Successful CMMC Compliance Audit

Organizations partnering with the Department of Defence must understand and meet all CMMC certifications. These regulations prepare contractors and subcontractors to navigate the complex landscape while safeguarding any data shared with the department and other contractors.

CMMC 2.0 is the latest framework that provides the guidelines for aligning compliance with federal standards and maintaining higher cyber hygiene.  Any contractor that has achieved compliance reinforces the security posture of their company.

The following is a list of things you must know and do to pass a CMMC compliance audit.

1. Underscore Your CMMC

Successful CMMC compliance audits are all-encompassing. They involve a thorough check of the responsible team, the systems, apps, and assets handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Your audit will map out the specific systems involved in storing, processing, and transmitting CUIs. It could be via third-party vendors, on-premise, or the cloud. You must understand the specific data flows to create a unique assessment boundary and apply the correct security controls.

2. Know Your CMMC Level

The data your contracting business handles determines the CMMC level. The Department of Defence has specifications under each contract to tell you the levels you must meet. Higher CMMC levels usually need stricter security controls. Speak with a prime contractor or contracting officer to know which levels you must implement to pass your CMMC audit.

3. Assess Your Cybersecurity Readiness

Your contracting business should have everything ready to navigate potential and existing cybersecurity threats. Check how prepared your company is to meet all the aspects documented under NIST 800‑171. Your assessment strategy should document already met practices, those requiring improvement, and those unavailable.

4. Document Policies and Procedures

Every policy and procedure you implement in your CMMC compliance should be documented.  It is an effective way to create a robust blueprint demonstrating how your company safeguards CUIs. Keep your document diverse, inputting every single data about incident responses, access controls, and maintenance processes. The policies should align with the requirements in the targeted CMMC level. Auditors use the documentation to confirm how well your security controls align with specified regulations.

5. Get an Inventory of all Assets

You should account for hardware, components, and software involved in your cybersecurity compliance. Remember, any asset interacting with or supporting the transmission, storage, and processing of CUIs must be updated and in perfect condition. Conduct a comprehensive asset inventory to define the scope of the security controls and support risk management and audit readiness.

6. Configure Your Systems

Auditors want your systems to be in perfect shape, functioning fully and efficiently. That means you must harden operating systems, disable unwanted services, and update your software. Consider robust configuration baselines and maintain the highest change-control records. You can leverage automatic configuration management systems to enforce standards and have ready evidence for reference during audits.

7. Resolve Inconsistencies

Achieving perfection in your CMMC compliance requires identifying and resolving gaps. You have already run a complement readiness assessment. Now leverage your resources and teams to address deficiencies in existing technical controls, practices, and policies.  You must prioritize vulnerabilities with a higher risk level, ensuring you implement more robust corrective measures.

Ensure every fix you perform corrects the underlying issues and offers lasting solutions. You want to document your remediation efforts, ensuring you put down everything about your discovery, the resolutions, and the time of resolution. The documentation acts as proof of commitment and shows that you commit to cybersecurity compliance.

8. Create a Robust System Security Plan

Every successful CMMC compliance plan details the procedures for handling CUIs.

A System Security Plan (SSP) is an effective strategy to prove that you have all cybersecurity environments, assets, and users covered under the cybersecurity program.  Ensure your SSP provides accurate details of the security controls you used to achieve compliance in the specific CMMC level. Consider checking procedural safeguards, technical configurations, and policy references.

9. Engage Third Parties

One truth about CMMC compliance is that one person’s point of view is never enough. Even skilled in-house teams can never be enough to provide an unbiased perspective on a company’s cybersecurity posture. Third-party cybersecurity experts offer a more unbiased and fresh outlook on your cybersecurity posture. These experts have no interest in pleasing you, but in providing uncompromised insight into how your cybersecurity posture is.  Skilled third-party teams invest in effective SSP validation, mock assessments, and cybersecurity control assessments.

10. Train Your Personnel

Your staff is a vital aspect of your cybersecurity compliance approach. Well-trained staff can help your company maintain the highest cybersecurity guidelines and achieve unmatched CMMC compliance. Ensure your administrative teams, employees, and IT staff understand how CUIs work and are equipped to handle the responsibilities associated with such sensitive datasets. They should understand complex terms such as phishing, control policies, and data handling.

Conduct ongoing training sessions to keep your staff informed about compliance strategies, protocols, and risks. They should have the knowledge and skills to identify and resolve issues as they arise.

Wrapping Up

CMMC compliance has become more than a necessity for organizations contracting with the Department of War. The continuous task requires contractors to understand basic requirements and address them with the highest level of precision.

Proper compliance helps one establish a resilient framework for protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). You must define your scope and document controls while ensuring you train your workers and engage skilled teams.