1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |The DoD's Own Cyber Monday: Defense Department Releases CMMC Assessment Guides

The DoD's Own Cyber Monday: Defense Department Releases CMMC Assessment Guides

Client Alert | 1 min read | 12.09.20

Fresh off the heels of the DFARS Interim Rule, the Department of Defense (DoD) released Assessment Guides for Levels 1 - 3 of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). These Guides will be used by Certified Assessors to determine whether contractors have satisfied the practices and processes required to attain CMMC certifications at the level needed to be awarded future DoD contracts. These new assessment procedures, which DoD calls “authoritative,” are leveraged from NIST SP 800-171A, the NIST guidance used to assess compliance with NIST SP 800-171. 

A notable inclusion in the Levels 2 – 3 Guide is the assessment criteria used to evaluate a contractor’s implementation of processes for each of the 17 CMMC Domains. Under the CMMC, the DoD has stated that contractors will not be certified at CMMC Levels 2 and above if the contractor has not satisfied both the technical practices and process maturity for the desired level.

These Guides will provide useful insights as contractors prepare for the DoD’s phased implementation of CMMC requirements into all DoD contracts over the next 5 years. 

Contacts

Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 06.25.26

Twin Executive Orders Seek to Spur Quantum Leap in Technology and Cybersecurity

On June 22, 2026, President Trump signed two executive orders, “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks” (Quantum Security EO) and “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation” (Quantum Innovation EO), marking the most significant federal action on quantum technology since the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act of 2022, which directed agencies to harden their information systems against quantum-enabled hacking. The orders seek to speed the development of quantum computers, which are advanced processors that can calculate multiple possibilities simultaneously and thus solve problems exponentially faster than traditional computers. At the same time, the orders look to protect against the danger that quantum technology can “break” traditional encryption by easily decoding it. Of particular note for government contractors, the Quantum Security EO directs agencies to update federal acquisition regulations to require contractors by 2031 to adopt information processing standards that resist quantum-enabled codebreaking....

View All Insights