Integrating Cmmc With Existing Cybersecurity Frameworks: A Practical Guide for 2025
Heer Chheda
Jan 31, 2025
The CMMC model was not created in a vacuum, it’s an answer to a very costly problem. For years, cyberattacks have quietly siphoned billions from the U.S. economy, targeting defense contractors and exploiting weaknesses across supply chains. According to a report by CSIS, in 2019 alone, cybercrime cost the U.S. approximately $600 billion.
By 2026, the DoD expects all defense contracts to require some form of CMMC compliance. But achieving compliance isn’t straightforward—31% of small and medium-sized defense contractors identified CMMC as their biggest upcoming hurdle, according to a survey by PreVeil.
TL;DR
Build a Security Plan – Align CMMC with existing frameworks to streamline compliance and strengthen your cybersecurity posture. This minimizes redundant efforts and ensures long-term resilience. |
Advance Your Practices – Integrate AI and automation into your processes to stay ahead of evolving threats. Taking a proactive stance on risk management reduces vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. |
Meet Contracting Expectations – Defense contracting officers are prioritizing partners with robust, adaptable security frameworks. Demonstrating advanced practices not only meets compliance but positions you competitively for future contracts. |
What is CMMC?
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) way of making sure that contractors handling sensitive information are taking cybersecurity seriously. CMMC is a tiered framework with different levels of security requirements. Smaller contractors handling less sensitive data may only need basic protections, while those working with Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or supporting mission-critical operations will need to meet stricter standards.

By the time CMMC is fully rolled out, around 37% of the Defense Industrial Base – roughly 80,000 organizations – will need to meet Level 2 cybersecurity standards. About 1,500 companies (1%) will be held to Level 3’s stricter cybersecurity requirements.
CMMC 2.0, NIST, and other overlaps….
CMMC 2.0 is grounded in NIST SP 800-171. The DoD has been transparent about this – Level 2’s 110 security controls are pulled directly from NIST’s framework to protect CUI. But if you step back and look at the broader structure of CMMC, it’s hard not to notice the similarities with other established frameworks like ISO 27001 and CIS Controls.

- ISO 27001 focuses on continuous risk management and iterative improvement—principles that echo CMMC’s progressive, maturity-based model.
- CIS Controls take a practical, phased approach to cybersecurity hygiene, closely resembling the foundational requirements of CMMC Level 1.
If you’ve already invested in frameworks like ISO 27001 or CIS Controls, achieving CMMC compliance won’t mean starting over. Many of the required practices—like access management, data protection, and encryption—are already part of these frameworks.
CMMC isn’t reinventing cybersecurity; it’s reinforcing it through a defense-focused lens.
The technical backbone of CMMC
The technical controls within CMMC scale in complexity, matching the sensitivity of the information being handled. At Level 1, the focus is on locking down the basics – the cybersecurity equivalent of locking your doors at night. By Level 2, the attention shifts to protecting sensitive CUI from cyber threats, while Level 3 introduces security controls to defend against state-sponsored adversaries and advanced cyber threat actors.
Level 1 – Foundational (Basic cyber hygiene)
Think of level 1 as the cybersecurity equivalent of locking your doors and windows before leaving the house. The focus here is on protecting Federal Contract Information (FCI) – essentially data that isn’t classified but still sensitive to the federal government. There are 15 practices in this tier, derived from Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.204-21.
The following are the technical safeguards for fundamental cybersecurity hygiene:
- Access controls: Data and systems should only be accessible by authorised users. This could entail creating strong passwords, restricting administrator accounts, and making sure that external connections—such as remote access—are strictly controlled.
- Identity and authentication: Each user needs to be correctly identified and verified. This is frequently where multi-factor authentication (MFA) comes in, making sure that a hacked password is insufficient to compromise a system.
- Media protection: Before being thrown away or used again, any hard disc or USB that contains sensitive data must be thoroughly cleaned. Nobody wants to unintentionally cause sensitive data to leak because they neglected to clean their device.
Control overlap with ISO and CIS
- ISO 27001 A.9 and CIS Control 6 emphasize access control, aligning directly with CMMC’s approach to restricting user privileges and enforcing password policies.
Media Protection requirements mirror ISO 27001 A.8.3 and CIS Control 13, which stress secure disposal and encryption of portable devices.
Level 2 – Advanced (Protecting CUI)
This is where things get serious. Level 2 is aligned with NIST SP 800-171 and introduces 110 controls spread across 14 domains. The goal here is to protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) – data that, while not classified, could cause harm if compromised.
Here are the technical controls:
- Configuration management: Establish and maintain system baselines. This means having standard configurations for devices and software, controlling any changes, and ensuring systems are hardened against vulnerabilities.
- System and communication protection: Encrypt data in transit and at rest, monitor communications between systems, and block unauthorized traffic. Firewalls, secure communication protocols (like TLS), and intrusion detection systems come into play here.
- System and information integrity: Continuously monitor for vulnerabilities, patch systems quickly, and actively hunt for cyber threats. If malware slips through, the system should detect and isolate it before it causes significant damage.
Control overlap with NIST, ISO and CIS
- ISO 27001 A.12 (Operational Security) focuses heavily on configuration management and secure baselines, mirroring CMMC’s CM requirements.
- CIS Control 13 outlines encryption, firewalls, and secure communication—matching System and Communications Protection in CMMC.
- The requirement to patch systems and monitor for vulnerabilities (System and Information Integrity – SI) reflects ISO 27001’s Annex A.12.6