Threat actors have successfully targeted defense contractors over the years because they haven’t fully secured their networks, thus creating serious vulnerabilities in U.S. national security. To combat this challenge, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework was born.

So, what exactly is this framework? According to the DoD’s website, the CMMC is a “unifying standard for the implementation of cybersecurity, which includes a certification element to verify the implementation of processes and practices associated with the achievement of a cybersecurity maturity level.” The framework, which will be tiered into five levels of maturity (from basic to advanced), is designed to provide increased cybersecurity protection of sensitive information, including subcontractors, across multi-tiered supply chains.