Solve Problems Before They Arise With Network Situational Awareness

Brian Berger, President of Cytellix Corporation • February 15, 2021

As a business in 2022, you can't escape the many uses of the internet and networks. Cloud-based storage, applications, and processing have completely changed the game, making completing tasks easier, faster, and more efficient. You would be hard-pressed to find any successful company that does not use some form of digital solution. While most networks are identified as "secured," do you have all the protection you need against cybercriminals? The best way to avoid problems is to catch them before they start. You can identify weaknesses in your network with Network Situational Awareness and continuous cybersecurity monitoring. Here's what this revolutionary cybersecurity solution can do for you and a few things it will help you watch for.

 

What is Network Situational Awareness?

Network Situational Awareness is precisely as it sounds; being aware of the state of the network your business operates on. Networks are spaces that allow communication between multiple devices. Data is collected and stored in the network and is only accessible to those devices within it. Companies or any business that deals with a lot of sensitive information turn to private networks to keep this data safe. These networks are secured with passwords, pin codes, firewalls, and more security checks to prevent those outside the company from gaining access. Like all other aspects of digital technology and cybersecurity, even the most secure network can have weak spots that put you at risk for a cyberattack. Network Situational Awareness is a system of continuous cybersecurity monitoring that can keep an eye on the network as a whole to identify and flag problems. By staying aware of your network’s status, you can stay one step ahead of hackers to keep valuable information safe. Network Situational Awareness is very involved because of all the moving parts in a network. With the help of cybersecurity experts like Cytellix, you can easily monitor the goings-on from one place.

 

Who Needs Network Situational Awareness?

Any business that uses a network would greatly benefit from Network Situational Awareness. Leaders in the company need to be able to look at how the network is performing currently versus how it is expected to perform. You need to look at the past, present, and future state of the system to determine how you're doing security-wise. Many people erroneously believe that they are secured enough that there's no reason for concern. The fact of the matter is that the more the network changes, the more likely something is to fall through the cracks. When you're managing fifty or hundreds to thousands of devices on one network, you need to ensure that every possible security measure is being taken. Basically, the more you rely on your company network to do daily tasks, the more important it is to have Network Situational Awareness. Cybersecurity monitoring software and processes can proactively scan every inch of the network to detect problems that would be missed by traditional networking software. Find weak spots before hackers do and avoid data breaches, external attacks, and more.

 

How Can Cytellix Help?

Cytellix offers state-of-the-art Network Situational Awareness solutions to businesses across all industries. Our program has several overall goals that will protect you, your company, and your clients' information. These goals include:

  • Proactively identify and monitor 100% of network connections and devices.
  • Understand all aspects of the network environment — physical, mobile, virtualized, IoT, and cloud (private, public, and hybrid)
  • Expose potential problems, such as unplanned Internet connections, unmanaged devices, and unsecured ports
  • Monitor in real-time for instant visibility and immediate response
  • Alert by severity for threats, leaks, and nefarious activity


Cytellix created a continuous cybersecurity monitoring system especially to keep an eye on your network. Running in an always-on mode, Cytellix Continuous Monitoring delivers next-generation network discovery, leak path detection, visualization, and analytics to provide network situational awareness — including awareness of your organization’s presence in private, public, and hybrid clouds. Our cybersecurity continuous monitoring has saved clients from catastrophic cyberattacks, data breaches, and network takeovers. We can create personalized solutions for any size business. We even help multi-location businesses keep data secure in company-wide networks or clouds. When you work with Cytellix, you can feel confident that you will be alerted to any cyber or network weaknesses immediately and receive implementation plans to fix said issue.

 

In addition to Cytellix Continuous Monitoring for Network Situational Awareness, we also offer custom, high-tech cybersecurity solutions including Risk Management, SIEM as a service, the patent pending Cytellix Cyber Watch Portal, and more. Our turnkey solutions will keep you several steps ahead of cyber criminals so that you can spend less time worrying about your data and more time using it to better your business. Reach out to our team today to get started down the path to improved cybersecurity. Want to get more information? Contact us here today.

Cytellix has expert capabilities in cybersecurity technology, risk management frameworks (RMF, NIST, CMMC, GDPR, FFIEC, ISO) and provides a complete visibility platform that supports: DoD customers, DIB Customers, DoD Supply Chain, and other highly regulated industries (Finance, Automotive, Utilities, State and Local Government). Our technology stack includes SIEM as Service, 24x7 SOC, Vulnerability Management, Real-time continuous cyber monitoring, Firewall Management, and threat hunting and threat correlation.

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The Clock is Ticking for CMMC 2.0: Here’s Everything You Need to Know – START NOW

By Brian Berger • August 23, 2023
The Department of Defense (DoD) has formally presented the CMMC regulation for official evaluation, marking the start of its journey toward formal announcement. Every regulation proposed by the executive branch, including this one, undergoes scrutiny by OIRA, a division of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The significance of this step is that the previously mentioned "delays" in the CMMC process were due to the time taken for the DoD to forward the rule to OIRA. With this action now taken, the subsequent stages of the rulemaking procedure are underway. Nevertheless, due to the intricate nature of federal rulemaking, several more stages need to be navigated before the CMMC becomes a part of contracts. The following scenarios should be considered for preparation for compliance and certification for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Scenario 1: Proposed Rule Submission to OIRA: The Department of Defense (DoD) has officially submitted the CMMC rule for regulatory review to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Review and Publication: After OIRA's review, which takes an average of 66 business days, the CMMC rule is expected to be published in late October 2023. Public Comment Period: A standard 60-day public comment period will follow, ending in December 2023. Finalization: The CMMC rule will be published as a "proposed rule", which means it will only become effective after the agency responds to public comments in a final rule. Based on historical data, the average time for DoD proposed rules to be published as final rules is 333 business days. This means the CMMC final rule is expected between February and April 2025 . Phased Roll-Out: The DoD plans a 3-year phased roll-out for CMMC contract clauses. Assuming the final rule is published in Q1 2025, all relevant DoD contracts will contain CMMC by 2028. Scenario 2: Interim Final Rule Immediate Effectiveness : If the CMMC rule is published as an "interim final rule", it will be effective before the agency responds to public comments . This means the rule would be in effect and appear in contracts in Q1 2024 . Rarity of Interim Final Rules: Such rules are rare and bypass the usual democratic process of "notice and comment" rulemaking. They are typically granted in urgent situations, like the need to enhance national security. So when should you start preparing? Before we start with the background and changes, let’s talk about the "Big Elephant” in the room. Clearly, the updated compliance and certification process developed by the DoD and the non-profit organization liaisons has been long overdue with a lot of anticipated deadlines that never materialized. And with the latest announcements it does seem to be mildly reminiscent of the movie comedy and colloquial meaning of Groundhog Day. Since the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry I found humor in relativity, not cynicism. Opinion: This is different and the information we have in the DoD supply chain must be protected from our adversaries. This is a serious issue and needs clear and precise guidelines as the supply chain will not spend money on the protection of the information that protects national security unless they must as it is deemed as a complex undertaking. That’s an unfortunate reality. We have seen the start and restart of the cyber programs for DoD for the past 5-years, what makes this different? The implementation of the CMMC rule in contracts will be phased in over a period of 3 years, with all relevant DoD Defense Industrial Base (DIB) contracts containing CMMC by 2028. For a company with 50-100 employees operating in the DoD supply chain, it takes an average of 12-18 months to prepare for assessment and audit for eventual certification, with certification being the ultimate requirement for compliance. Therefore, the time is now to start the process if you plan to hold government contracts in 2024/2025. There are also varied flow down requirements that need to also be taken into consideration. Understanding Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) There is now the ability to present interim status vs 100% compliance as we have with the current DFARS and NIST requirements. These interim reports can be handled in the traditional manner by presenting a Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) that have a less than 180-day completion date for allowed baseline gaps. Unallowed gaps will have a “No POAM” designation and need to be implemented. If you have any doubts, work with a highly skilled 3 rd party who has expertise in these standards and a track record of enabling comprehensive successful standards-based cyber programs. The information presented by the suppliers in POAM’s or claiming 100% compliance will be evaluated and can and will likely trigger audits if certain high-level cyber controls are not met or the 100% compliance score creates suspicion of a false claim. Be careful to present accurate and validated information. So, what does this all mean? You must be compliant with DFARS clause 252.204.7012 and NIST 800-171 today. This is a requirement of your current contracts, and the False Claims Act applies to all cyber compliance representations. If you are not compliant, you could be subject to civil penalties and criminal charges. You need to start preparing for CMMC 2.0 today. The deadline for the final rule is 18 months from now, and it will take an average company in the DoD supply chain 12-18 months to become assessment ready. Waiting is not an option. Waiting is a bad idea. Why you ask? It is very clear that most suppliers and Small and Medium Businesses are not cyber ready and nowhere near compliant with any cyber framework. The timeframe for a typical business to understand, develop and implement full compliance is more than 1-year assuming they have the skills and personnel to complete the objectives. CMMC 2.0 clearly aligns with DFARS and NIST, so it is the best way to protect your organization's sensitive data. Don't delay, start preparing today! *If you have any questions, please reach out to our experts – [email protected]
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