Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

The Department of Defense DFARS Cybersecurity Clause, more commonly known as the DoD Cyber Clause (or just DFARS 7012), is the long-standing set of rules the DoD has put in place for all members of the DoD supply chain and defense industrial base. It has also spread beyond those boundaries through the use of DFARS 7012 clauses in contracts for other parts of the federal government.

FedRAMP is the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, and it’s one of the most widely used governmental cybersecurity frameworks across the United States. It’s meant to serve as the gatekeeper for any contractor looking to work with the federal government to ensure that everyone across the board has a minimum level of cybersecurity in place to protect themselves, the government, and each other from risks and threats. FedRAMP is not alone.

The overall defense industrial base is growing increasingly aware of the needs of modern information and cyber security. From recent major supply chain attacks to the constant threat of nation-state actors trying to compromise systems, it’s important to be committed to the best security you can implement, no matter where you are in the supply chain. One of the tools provided to you, and required by the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, is the SPRS.

The world of cybersecurity is always changing, with rapid evolution in both threat and response creating a continual churn in knowledge, technology, and standards. Frameworks meant to help protect systems and businesses, especially the government, tend to be comparatively slow. It takes a lot of momentum and effort to get a new framework iteration through the various committees, analysis groups, and other roadblocks necessary to get it approved.

CMMC mandates that companies working as part of the government supply line need to comply with a level of security determined by their handling of controlled information. Identifying the level of compliance necessary for your business is the first step in achieving that compliance. The second step is scoping.