CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)
CMMC is the Department of Defense's framework for assessing and certifying the cybersecurity posture of defense industrial base (DIB) contractors. CMMC 2.0 defines three levels: Foundational (Level 1, 17 practices based on FAR 52.204-21), Advanced (Level 2, 110 practices aligned with NIST SP 800-171), and Expert (Level 3, 110+ practices with additional controls from NIST SP 800-172). Starting in 2025, CMMC certification will be required for DoD contract awards involving Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Third-party assessment organizations (C3PAOs) conduct Level 2 assessments, while Level 3 requires government-led assessment. CMMC compliance affects the entire supply chain — primes and subcontractors must meet the required certification level.
How XO Defense Addresses This
XO Defense's protocol architecture supports CMMC requirements through its fundamental design principles. Sealed Comms provides fail-closed encryption with no fallback to cleartext, addressing access control and encryption requirements. Mustard Chain's tamper-evident ledger provides audit trail integrity. The protocol stack's offline-first design reduces attack surface by minimizing persistent network connections. As XO Defense engages defense primes and DoD program offices, CMMC Level 2 certification will be pursued to qualify for contracts involving CUI, with the existing protocol architecture providing a strong technical foundation for the required security practices.
Learn how XO Defense's 25-byte protocol stack operates in the most constrained environments.
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