DFARS Compliance

There is a lot of activity online aimed at acquiring data on different people and entities for malicious use by hackers. There are those who are financially motivated, others are seeking to hurt people, and others have different kinds of motivations. Apart from the corporate world which seems like the most affected, there is the government too as a target for their efforts. The government has amassed a lot of info and data, most of which need not fall into the wrong hands. 

There are several rules and regulations put in place to ensure the safety of said data. A good example of it is the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, of the DFARS. It is expected that any business or corporation that handles any work for the Department of Defense shall be DFARS-compliant. There are several specific companies that fall under this category, and plenty others which in one way or another are affected by this compliance. Such compliance is meant to offer better handling of controlled unauthorized information (CUI). This is information while not strictly regulated, could still have an impact on the security of the nation, depending on who has access to it. You shall find out more about what status you and your company enjoy on this site. 

The DFARS-compliance dictates certain procedures and requirements of those companies. They shall for one have to establish proper access control. This shall see you limit the access to info certain individuals have to only allow them what they need to do their jobs. Apart from that, you need to also offer security train to your employees to understand the cyber-threat situation. There is also a need for proper audit and accountability, to ensure there are limited chances of any malicious activity where CUI is concerned, as well as to mitigate and investigate any suspicious incidences.  Learn more about DFARS compliance on this website. 

There is also a need for incidence response parameters in place. This shall ensure that in case of any cyber-attacks on an IT infrastructure, there is immediate mitigation and the restoration of normal security and functionality as soon as possible. There is also the aspect of maintenance, where all IT systems are expected to be kept in proper working order. The IT department needs to ensure it has all the resources to keep the system in that order. There should also be the close monitoring of how portable media devices are used in the network, such as USB flash devices. They too need protection and control of what is transferred to them.  

There will be more areas the DFARS-compliance in the company focuses on, such as the integrity of the personnel. This is where before you hire any person, they need to pass an extensive background check. This is especially critical for those who will have access to an IT system that contains the CUI. For more info about DFARS compliance, click on this link: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/improving-the-government_b_470998.

Cyber security is linked with growing complexities, costs, and threats that are unprecedentedly growing daily. Devices are being interconnected, which has brought many dangers in the cyber space. This interconnection has made it possible for criminals and hackers to access data regardless of where it is at. Security risk management such as ComplyUp is a continuous headache to various cyber users that are individuals and businesses. The importance of protecting web applications and processes and data should be approached with compliance and seriousness to prevent external and internal threats.  Cyber attacks are feared however, sabotage infrastructure is more feared.

The landscape of cyber security is always changing; businesses and firms are alert to the vulnerabilities and risks identifying in their systems and resources. Threats are increasing because of the expansion of communication networks and also because they can gather lots of data. Another threat is the cyber and digital weapons that are designed and deployed to reach particular control systems. Please remember that the infrastructure threats come from the many access points in a network. More threats are such as data theft from governments, intellectual data property theft, and cyber attacks targeting mobile devices.

Mobile applications and devices have presented a lot of challenges and problems in the cyber security landscape. Using mobile devices is increasing daily, and their growth is aligning with cyber attacks on mobile devices. The mobile app areas have also witnessed increased threats and linked with other apps are now available at a cost. The apps are based on location and are faced with threats when the applications are wrapped up with malware and malicious code to be then sold to unsuspecting users. More applications are designed such that they download programs that will record text messages and phone calls and also download malware. Learn more at https://www.complyup.com/nist-800-171-reference.

The threat of social engineering is also increasingly growing with the aim of sending people to click malicious links by using rogue antivirus and other fake software posing like cloud computing services. Hactivism is also increasing with groups and people expressing displeasure and not complying with opinions and decisions and social factors using the cyber protests. Their weapon is faced with service attacks which are set to pull down systems and websites. Other forms of attacks are posting perceptive data like credit card and email information that has been hacked or stolen.

The advanced unrelenting threat is another kind of attack that assumes long-term hacking that is targeted with stealthy and subversive means. One of them is espionage the other is network capturing on vulnerable points. Once a network is captured, it is used to store information and data. With several threats facing the cyber world, profound security practices should be used by businesses and individuals. The measures and practices are to guard against cyber challenges and attacks and prevent an attack impact. Learn more about cyber security here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Acquisition_Regulation.

 If you want to have a government contract, then you will need to make your business complaint. That means you will have to follow all the rules of the DFARS strictly. A government contract is one of the best ways of expanding your business. The department of defense has crucial information that must be protected from cybercriminals.  In that case, for the government to give you their contracts, they have to ensure that you will be able to keep the information safe from the cybercriminals. If you are planning on having a government contract, then you need to know the guidelines for reaching the DFARS. Here are some of the instructions.

The first thing you need to do is to know whether you need to be a complaint or not.  You will not need the DFARS compliance if you don’t want to do any business that requires the department of defense. That’s why you need to be sure first if you need it or not. But if you want to expand your business and have a government contract, then you will have to get the DFARS 252.204 7012 compliance. When you are sure of what you want, it will be easy for you to go ahead with your plan. It is a requirement that for a business to earn money through DOD, it must be a DFARS compliant.

The other thing that you need to do is to fill the cybersecurity questionnaire. By filling the survey, you will be proving that you are ready to protect the department of defense information from the cybercrime. In that way, you will not have a hard time doing your business to be DFARS compliant. It is an essential step that will boost you to the next level of being given the government contractor. By filling the questionnaire, you will be giving the assurance that no one else can get access to the department of defense information.

The other step you need to take is to ensure that you develop a system security plan. You need to come up with an idea on how you will protect the information of the DOD and how you will you become a DFARS compliant. There is no way you can become a DFARS compliant without having a good security plan on how you will go about it. With the system security plan, you will be sure of what you want and where you will start to become compliant. It will also be easy for the department of defense to trust you because they can see the things that you are planning to do. Find out more about cyber security here: https://www.britannica.com/topic/defense-economics.