CMMC Phase One: The Soft Opening That Finally Ends “Trust Me, Bro” Compliance Why Phase One marks the moment CMMC becomes real for every defense contractor. CMMC Phase One has officially begun, and the shift is real. The defense contracting world suddenly feels different, like the moment a store flips on its “Open” sign and […]
Cyber Thoughts
Recap of HOU.SEC.CON 2025 A Great Success for Cyber Defense Advisors Last month, Cyber Defense Advisors (CDA) had the privilege of participating in HOU.SEC.CON 2025 in Houston. As an exhibitor at booth 434 and with our COO/founding partner Rob Gorman delivering a standout lecture, it was a busy and rewarding week of connection, insight, and […]
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The Great Cybersecurity Illusion Why Most Companies Will Fail the Next Big Test Behind the dashboards and buzzwords, a storm is already breaking. Let’s be honest, cybersecurity in 2025 has become a kind of corporate theater. Everyone talks about zero trust, AI-powered defense, and digital resilience, yet most organizations are still one breach away from […]
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Calling All CUI Defenders NIST Wants Your Take on SP 800-172r3 NIST just dropped two new drafts for public comment, and if you’re in the defense supply chain, this is your moment to pay attention. SP 800-172 Revision 3 (final public draft): introduces enhanced security requirements aimed squarely at nation-state-level adversaries. SP 800-172A Revision 3 […]
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What C3PAOs Really Look for Under CMMC Rule 48 Lessons from Our Latest Webinar Yesterday’s live webinar, Straight Talk with a C3PAO: Preparing for Assessments Under Rule 48, hosted by Cyber Defense Advisors (CDA) in partnership with Insight Assurance, brought together dozens of defense contractors and compliance professionals for one reason: To finally get straight answers on what CMMC […]
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How to Get CMMC Rule 48-Ready in Just 30 Days What We’ll Unpack in Our October 22 Webinar CMMC Rule 48 is officially here, and most contractors still aren’t ready. Not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know what readiness actually looks like when a C3PAO walks in. That’s exactly what we’ll unpack in […]
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FedRAMP Shakes Things Up Emergency Directive 25-03 and a Much-Needed Wake-Up Call FedRAMP isn’t usually the life of the party. Predictable, methodical, steady—those are its moves. But this week? It threw not one, but two surprises on the table. And honestly, it’s about time. The catalyst was CISA’s Emergency Directive 25-03, a blunt reminder that […]
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Confessions of a C3PAO: What Contractors Get Wrong About CMMC Rule 48 — and What You’ll Learn in Our Upcoming Webinar We sat down with Insight Assurance to talk real stories from the assessment front lines ahead of our live session later this month. There’s theory… and then there’s what actually happens when a C3PAO […]
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The All-New Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC) Same Pig, Different Lipstick? In late September, the U.S. Department of War (DoW) unveiled its latest big idea: the Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC). Billed as a transformative framework to deliver real-time defense “at operational speed,” it arrives wrapped in lofty promises, five-phase lifecycles, and ten shining principles. […]
Cyber Thoughts