Government Contract and Cyber Security Requirements

All government contracting companies must meet certain Department of Defense (DoD) standards in order to maintain their contracts, especially with regard to cyber security requirements. In this post, we look at how your business is required to comply.

What is DFARS?

DFARS is the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, which sets forth the requirements for protecting both the government’s and the contractor’s sensitive information. Basically, any contractor that maintains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) has an obligation to secure this information.

This information may be particularly valuable to small manufacturers who seek DoD contracts. The guidelines pertain to both contractors and subcontractors.

Cyber security Requirements

According to the parameters set forth by DFARS, contractors must provide “adequate security” of all CUI. Furthermore, any cyber incidents that occur must be reported quickly, generally within 72 hours.  The DFARS makes clear that a cyber incident doesn’t necessarily mean that the contractor did not provide adequate security, but that the security measures will be assessed. More information can be found here.

The NIST MEP Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Handbook details the ways in which contractors, subcontractors, and supply chains can determine how well they are meeting the needs of DoD contracts’ cyber security requirements for government contracting.

Cyber security Requirements and Government Contracting

Naturally, with the requirements laid out by the DFARS, it makes sense to use the strongest encryption technology available in order to secure information. Trustwire’s encryption is open-sourced, with not deliberate back doors. Furthermore, Trustwire itself does not have access to any of its clients messages, data, or documents, which perfectly aligns with guidelines for handling DoD information.

Implementing Trustwire is simple due to its incredible ease-of-use. This mean less training employees and more getting work done. To learn more about how Trustwire can help your business meet DFARS standards, click here.