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Understanding CMMC 2.0 Domains

Posted by Ken Bergeron

Tue, Jan 11, 2022

understanding-cmmc-domains

The CMMC 2.0 model consists of 14 domains that assess the previously established NIST 800-171 controls. Here’s what each one is and what it covers.

Access Control: This domain requires your organization to establish who has access to your systems and what their requirements are to operate effectively. As well as who has remote access, internal system access, and the limitations of their roles in system.

Audit & Accountability: This domain requires that you have a process in place for tracking users that have access to your organization’s CUI and performing audits of those logs to ensure they are held accountable for their behavior. You will need to define the requirements of each audit, have a method to perform the audit, protect and secure the results of that audit and manage audit logs.

Awareness & Training: This domain requires that you have training programs in place for all personnel and conduct security awareness activities.

Configuration Management: This domain asks that you establish configuration baselines as a measure to judge the efficiency of your systems. This is necessary to conduct audits and accurately measure the posture of your systems.

Identification & Authentication: This domain ensures the proper roles within your organization have the correct level of access and can be authenticated for reporting and accountability purposes.

Incident Response: For this domain, your organization will need an Incident Response Plan. The ability to detect and report events, develop and implement response to a declared incident, perform post-incident reviews and test your response in an effort to measure your entity’s preparedness in the event of a cyber attack.

Maintenance: This domain requires you have a maintenance system in place to maintain and effectively operate your systems.

Media Protection: For this domain, your organization will need to prove it has its media identified and appropriately marked for ease of access. Additionally, it asks that you provide evidence of a media protection protocol, sanitation protocol, and transportation protection in place.

Personnel Security: Your personnel will have to have been properly screened and have background checks run. Also, you will need to provide evidence that your CUI is protected during personnel activity such as employee turnover or transfer.

Physical Protection: Your organization will need to provide evidence of the physical security surrounding your assets and prove that they are protected.

Risk Assessment: Risk Assessment is the process of identifying and evaluating the risk that affects your company using periodic risk assessments and vulnerability scanning. This includes your own organization’s risk as well as that of your vendors.

Security Assessment: For this domain, you will need a system security plan in place. Additionally, you will need to define and manage controls and perform code reviews for your organization.

System & Communication Protection: You will need to define the security requirements of each system and communication channel your organization uses to provide evidence your organization has control of communications at system boundaries.

System & Information Integrity: System and information integrity require you to identify and manage flaws within your system, identify hazardous and malicious content in-system, implement email protections and monitor your network and system.

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