If you’ve spent any time preparing for NIST 800-171 or DFARS 70-12 compliance, you’ve probably come across the terms POA&M and OPA. While they may sound similar, they serve very different purposes during the certification or self-attestation process. Knowing when each one applies—and just as importantly, when it doesn’t—can help organizations avoid unnecessary delays, misunderstandings, […]
On July 13th, 2026, at 3:30PM EST, the Department of War (DoW) released a memorandum for senior Pentagon leadership with a subject of “Implementing Department of War Chief Information Officer’s Suspension of the Advancement to Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Phase 2 Requirements” and “Removing Barriers to Defense Industrial Base Expansion: Immediate Suspension and Strategic Review […]
Earning CMMC certification takes a significant investment of time, resources, and effort. Once an organization clears its C3PAO Assessment, there’s a natural sense of relief — even accomplishment. That CMMC Status can last up to three years, but two events bring recertification back onto the calendar sooner: reaching the end of the standard three-year cycle, […]
If your organization handles Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and is working toward CMMC Level 2 certification, understanding where organizations most commonly fail is half the battle. In a recent webinar, 112Cyber’s certified CMMC assessors Nick Graning and Jordon Darling broke down five of the most commonly failed control areas — and exactly what you need […]
Not all C3PAOs are created equal. Before you sign an engagement, these are the questions that separate credible assessors from expensive mistakes — organized by category, with what good answers look like, and what should send you running. 01 Scoping & Environment Understanding Ask “How do you approach defining the CMMC assessment boundary?” “How do […]
In the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), External Service Providers (ESPs) are becoming increasingly common. ESPs, also commonly referred to as Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), or Cloud Service Providers (CSPs), have become especially beneficial for small and medium-sized businesses where hiring a full-time compliance employee may not be practical. ESP services can range from full system management and support to […]
When handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), compliance with NIST SP 800-171 and the CMMC framework mandates strict data protection measures—including the use of FIPS-validated encryption in specific scenarios. But one requirement that consistently generates questions is exactly what “FIPS-validated” means in practice, where it applies, and how it differs from the looser “FIPS-compliant” language that […]
2025 was the year CMMC stopped being theoretical and started impacting contracts, costs, and careers. For defense contractors, certification is no longer just compliance; it’s a competitive edge, a risk mitigation strategy, and an operational imperative in an era of elevated requirements for organizations in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). But it didn’t start that way. January 2025 was still a time of uncertainty and what felt like […]
2025 was a year of undeniable progress when it came to the establishment and enforcement of CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification). As we left 2025 and CMMC moved from anticipated requirement to full-on enforcement, one thing became clear: the companies that made the most CMMC progress weren’t just guessing—they were informed. Over the past year, our most-read and most-shared CMMC guides reflected the real questions […]
Proper storage of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Federal Contract Information (FCI) is at the core of a healthy and satisfactory compliance program. The issue? There seems to be ample confusion on what CUI and FCI are, the difference between the two, and where they officially can be stored. Improper storage of both CUI […]