What Is DFARS?
The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement is a set of cybersecurity requirements mandated by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) for contractors and subcontractors that handle sensitive information and provide goods or services to the DoD. The two primary goals of DFARS compliance are to provide adequate security for sensitive information and rapidly report cyber incidents to the DoD. Although the two goals may sound pretty easy, 14 groups of security requirements have to be met. Don’t go it alone: Get an expert on your side.
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Ensure DFARS Compliance
The regulatory phrase “adequate security” can cover a lot more than you’d initially think. Here are the 14 areas your company must cover to meet NIST SP 800-171 guidelines:
- Access control
- Awareness and training
- Audit and accountability
- Configuration management
- Identification and authentication
- Incident response
- Maintenance
- Media protection
- Personnel security
- Physical protection
- Risk assessment
- Security assessment
- System and communications protection
- System and information integrity
It may sound like a daunting task, but fortunately for you, the DoD allows partnerships with security-centric third-party managed service providers, saving you from massive capital investments in compliance.
Don’t Risk Noncompliance
Companies that aren’t compliant with DFARS can face a stop-work order. This means that their work on behalf of the DoD will be suspended until they implement suitable security measures to protect controlled unclassified information (CUI). The Department of Defense may invoke financial penalties, including seeking damages for false claims and breach of contract.
Worst-case scenario? DoD contractors could find that their contracts with the Department of Defense are terminated. They could even face suspension or debarment from ever working with the Department of Defense again.
The bottom line? Not taking advantage of expert compliance services could prove to be costly in the long run.
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