How to Meet the CMMC Configuration Management Requirement: Best Practices for CMMC Compliance

The CMMC configuration management requirement mandates that defense contractors establish and maintain secure baselines for their IT systems and software to identify vulnerabilities, mitigate risk, and demonstrate CMMC compliance. Effective CMMC configuration management is also vital for maintaining system integrity and reliability. Without it, the risk of security breaches increases, potentially causing serious operational disruptions and jeopardizing controlled unclassified information (CUI) and federal contract information (FCI).

In this post, we will examine the CMMC configuration management requirement and provide several configuration management best practices to help IT and compliance professionals in the defense industrial base (DIB) achieve compliance.

The CMMC certification process is arduous but our CMMC 2.0 compliance roadmap can help.

CMMC 2.0 Framework Overview

The CMMC framework is a critical standard for defense contractors, ensuring the protection of controlled unclassified information (CUI) and federal contract information (FCI) exchanged with the Department of Defense (DoD). CMMC 2.0 refines and streamlines the original CMMC 1.0 framework. CMMC 2.0 now has three (instead of five) maturity levels: CMMC Level 1 (Foundational), CMMC Level 2 (Advanced), and CMMC Level 3 (Expert). Each level includes a set of increasingly rigorous practices and processes aimed at safeguarding sensitive information and enhancing the overall cybersecurity posture of defense contractors.

Another key change between CMMC 1.0 and CMMC 2.0 is the alignment of cybersecurity practices directly with NIST 800-171 and NIST 800-172. This alignment simplifies the certification process and focuses on adherence to existing federal cybersecurity standards.

The CMMC 2.0 framework comprises 14 domains that cover various aspects of cybersecurity. These domains include: Access Control, Awareness and Training, Audit and Accountability, Configuration Management, Identification and Authentication, Incident Response, Maintenance, Media Protection, Personnel Security, Physical Protection, Risk Assessment, Security Assessment, System and Communications Protection, and System and Information Integrity.

The configuration management domain is essential for ensuring security and demonstrating CMMC compliance. By adhering to CMMC configuration management practices, defense contractors can achieve CMMC compliance, a critical step to achieving CMMC certification. Implementing CMMC configuration management into your organization requires meticulous planning and execution and involves best practices tailored to meet CMMC standards. We’ll spend the remainder of this post elaborating on these requirements and best practices.

What is Configuration Mangement?

Configuration management is a systematic process of managing and maintaining a system’s settings, attributes, and features. It ensures consistency among physical and logical assets, aiding in system optimization and reliability. By documenting changes and maintaining a comprehensive configuration record, it supports efficient troubleshooting and streamlined updates.

Configuration management is a crucial IT service management process that ensures consistency and accuracy in a system’s performance. It involves tracking and controlling changes in software, hardware, and databases. By maintaining accurate records of versions and updates, it helps in troubleshooting and enhances the system’s reliability and efficiency.

By aligning configuration management processes with the CMMC standards, defense contractors can not only meet compliance obligations but also bolster their overall cybersecurity framework.

Essential Insights into CMMC Configuration Management

Understanding CMMC Configuration Management is crucial for ensuring cybersecurity compliance. This process involves maintaining security practices in line with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. Proper configuration management helps organizations protect sensitive information, manage changes effectively, and reduce vulnerabilities, ensuring robust and consistent security measures are in place.

CMMC Configuration Management Requirement Overview

Effective CMMC configuration management practices ensure that the systems and networks handling CUI and FCI are properly configured, secure, and consistently maintained to meet the DoD’s high cybersecurity standards. The CMMC configuration management requirement mandates defense contractors to establish and implement policies and procedures for effectively managing system configurations with an emphasis on data protection and data privacy.

The CMMC Configuration Management domain consists of several key practices including:

• Baseline Configuration: Establishing and maintaining a secure state for systems and software is essential for safeguarding against vulnerabilities. Setting a baseline includes defining standard configurations, continuously monitoring the systems for compliance, and updating configurations as needed to address new security threats. Additionally, it encompasses documenting all configuration changes and ensuring that any deviations from the baseline are thoroughly evaluated and managed to maintain the integrity and security of the systems.
• Configuration Change Control Process: Ensuring your configuration management practices align with the CMMC standards is critical to demonstrating CMMC compliance and reducing the risk of unauthorized changes. When defense contractors implement a robust configuration change control process, they document all changes, gain approval from authorized personnel, and performing regular audits.
• Least Functionality: Minimizing system features to include only those essential for operations plays a crucial role in reducing the system’s attack surface. By eliminating unnecessary functionalities, the number of potential entry points for malicious activity is significantly decreased. This streamlined approach not only simplifies the system but also enhances its overall security posture, effectively mitigating various security risks and vulnerabilities.
• Access Restrictions for Change: Controlling who can make configuration changes minimizes the risk of unauthorized modifications that could compromise system integrity or security. Establish role-based access permissions, utilize multi-factor authentication, and regularly review access logs to ensure that only individuals with the required clearance and responsibilities are able to make changes.
• Configuration Settings: The configuration of system components plays a crucial role in ensuring both data security and regulatory compliance. Set up components in a way that protects sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access. This multi-faceted approach not only safeguards the integrity and confidentiality of information but also helps organizations avoid legal penalties and enhance their overall security posture.
• Least Privilege: Providing users with only the essential levels of access or permissions required to carry out their specific job responsibilities helps minimize the attack surface. This approach enhances overall security by limiting the number of pathways that could be exploited by malicious actors. Additionally, it mitigates the risk of potential breaches by ensuring that users do not have unnecessary access to sensitive data or critical systems, thereby reducing the likelihood of internal threats or accidental data exposure.
• User-Installed Software: Users likely bypass organizational controls when they independently install applications on systems. Regularly auditing and controlling user-installed software helps maintain system integrity by ensuring that only approved applications are running on the network. This process involves periodic reviews and evaluations of all software installed by users to identify unauthorized or potentially harmful programs.

Benefits of Configuration Management

Configuration management is crucial for maintaining consistency across systems and improving operational efficiency. By keeping track of system configurations, organizations can swiftly identify and rectify discrepancies, reduce downtime, and streamline compliance with industry standards. Also, it facilitates smoother collaboration between development and IT teams, enhancing overall productivity.

Adopting these configuration management best practices not only helps fulfill the CMMC configuration management requirement but also enhances the organization’s cybersecurity posture. Defense contractors can achieve a competitive edge by demonstrating robust CMMC compliance, which is increasingly critical in securing contracts with the Department of Defense.

Implementing configuration management successfully requires a commitment to ongoing education and adaptation to emerging threats and technologies. By aligning practices with CMMC configuration management standards, organizations can ensure that their systems remain secure and compliant.

Configuration Management Tools

Configuration management tools play a crucial role in maintaining system consistency and reliability by automating the setup and maintenance of complex IT infrastructures. They enable developers and IT administrators to manage configurations systematically, reduce errors, and ensure systems remain secure and compliant, ultimately streamlining operations and facilitating efficient scaling of resources.

These tools, when utilized effectively, can significantly aid in meeting CMMC configuration management requirements. They offer functionalities such as version control, automated configuration updates, and comprehensive reporting, which are essential for maintaining a secure and compliant environment. Integrating these tools into your organization’s workflow can enhance overall efficiency and ensure that configuration management practices align with CMMC standards.

In addition, leveraging the right tools help maintain CMMC compliance, mitigate risks, reduce the potential for human error, and streamline the process of implementing configuration management best practices.

Common Challenges in CMMC Configuration Management

Despite the importance of configuration management, defense contractors may face several challenges in implementing effective practices. These challenges consist of, but are not limited to:

• Diverse IT Environments: Defense contractors often operate in diverse IT environments with a mix of legacy systems, on-premises infrastructure, and cloud-based solutions. Managing configurations across such heterogeneous environments can be complex and requires careful planning and coordination.
• Resource Constraints: Limited resources, including skilled personnel and budget constraints, can hinder the implementation of robust CMMC configuration management practices. Contractors must prioritize their efforts and allocate resources strategically to address the most critical aspects of configuration management.
• Resistance to Change: Resistance from personnel who are accustomed to existing practices can pose a barrier to implementing new CMMC configuration management processes. Effective change management and clear communication about the benefits of improved configuration management are essential to overcome this resistance.

Need to comply with CMMC? Here is your complete CMMC compliance checklist.

Configuration Management Planning

The successful implementation of configuration management requires strategic planning and a proactive approach. Defense contractors must embrace a holistic view, considering not only the technical aspects but also the cultural and organizational changes needed to support best practices. By fostering an environment that prioritizes CMMC configuration management compliance, organizations will enhance their ability to protect sensitive data and maintain the integrity of their systems.

Configuration Management Best Practices for CMMC Compliance

Configuration management is foundational for securing IT systems and mitigating cybersecurity risks. Defense contractors can effectively manage and control their IT infrastructure by following configuration management best practices, meeting CMMC configuration management requirements. Implementing these best practices not only enhances security measures but also ensures the integrity and reliability of systems, facilitating a smoother CMMC compliance process.

1. Establish Clear Configuration Management Policies

Develop detailed and thorough policies and procedures that cover every facet of configuration management. This includes defining roles and responsibilities, establishing processes for documenting and approving changes, and setting guidelines for version control and auditing. Make certain that these policies are easily accessible to all staff members who need them, possibly through an internal knowledge base or document management system. Additionally, implement a schedule for regular review and updates to these policies to ensure they remain current and effective in addressing the evolving needs of the organization and any changes in regulatory requirements.

2. Maintain a Baseline Configuration

Establishing and preserving a baseline configuration provides a reference point for any future alterations to the system. Create a detailed documentation of the initial system setup, including hardware specifications, installed software, network settings, security configurations, and any other pertinent details. When changes are made—whether through updates, patches, or reconfigurations—the baseline allows you to compare the current state with the original setup to ensure that the modifications are intentional and correctly implemented.

By having a documented record of the approved configuration, it becomes significantly easier to detect unauthorized changes. If the system deviates from the established baseline without documented justification, this discrepancy can signal potential security breaches or unapproved alterations. Having a baseline configuration is also invaluable during troubleshooting and incident response. It provides a known-good state to which systems can be restored, aiding in the rapid resolution of issues.

3. Implement Configuration Change Control

Implement a thorough and disciplined change control procedure designed to review, authorize, and record every modification in configurations. This systematic approach should encompass comprehensive impact assessments to evaluate potential effects of the proposed changes on the system’s overall performance and security. It’s also crucial to conduct rigorous testing to validate that these changes do not inadvertently create new vulnerabilities or issues, thereby maintaining the integrity and security of the system. This ensures that all alterations are systematically vetted and their implications fully understood before implementation.

4. Enforce Least Functionality

The process of configuring systems involves tailoring their setup to ensure they deliver only the essential functions and services necessary for their intended use. This entails a thorough evaluation of the system’s purpose and identifying which capabilities are needed to fulfill its role effectively. Once the core requirements are identified, any extraneous features, services, or applications that do not serve a critical function should be disabled or entirely removed. This approach reduces the system’s complexity and minimizes the number of potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors. By limiting the system to its essential components, the attack surface is significantly reduced, thereby enhancing the overall security posture. Properly managing and maintaining this configuration is crucial for safeguarding the system against threats and ensuring it operates optimally within its designated scope.

5. Apply Configuration Settings

Implement secure configuration settings that align with established industry standards and best practices to ensure a robust security posture. This involves tailoring system configurations, network settings, and application parameters to minimize potential vulnerabilities and protect against unauthorized access. Refer to frameworks such as the Center for Internet Security (CIS) benchmarks, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines, and other relevant resources that provide comprehensive and actionable security recommendations. Once these secure configurations are in place, regularly review and update them to ensure that the configurations remain effective against current security challenges. This process might include automated vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, and manual reviews by security professionals.

6. Implement Least Privilege

Assign users and systems only the access permissions that are necessary to carry out their specific functions and responsibilities. This practice minimizes potential security risks by limiting the exposure of sensitive data and critical resources. Carve out a routine schedule for auditing and revising access controls to ensure they remain appropriate given the evolving roles, responsibilities, and requirements of users and systems. This involves assessing current operational demands, making necessary adjustments, and removing any unnecessary permissions that could pose security threats. By continually fine-tuning access levels, organizations can better protect themselves against unauthorized access and potential breaches.

7. Control User-Installed Software

Create comprehensive policies and detailed procedures to oversee and control software installed by users. These guidelines should include strict rules that forbid the installation of unauthorized software. In addition, ensure that all approved software is subjected to a routine schedule of updates and security patches to maintain its integrity and functionality. This proactive approach significantly enhances system and network security, reducing vulnerabilities and improving overall resilience against cyber threats.

8. Conduct Regular Audits and Assessments

Perform regular audits and assessments of your configuration management practices. This involves systematically reviewing and evaluating your current configuration management processes, policies, and tools to ensure they align with best practices and regulatory requirements, including CMMC. Through these audits, you can pinpoint weaknesses and vulnerabilities that might otherwise go unnoticed. Regularly updating and refining your practices not only helps in meeting compliance standards but also strengthens your overall security posture so you’re better equipped to defend against cyber threats, minimize risks, and respond effectively to security incidents ensuring the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of your information systems.

9. Provide Continuous Training and Awareness

Continuous training and regular awareness updates ensures that everyone involved in configuration management remains proficient and up-to-date. This ongoing education process helps personnel stay knowledgeable about the most current best practices in the field so they’re well-versed in the latest policies and standards. They’re also better equipped to recognize and respond to emerging threats, thereby enhancing their capability to effectively manage configurations. By maintaining rigorous and updated training programs, organizations can ensure that their configuration management processes are both efficient and secure, mitigating risks associated with outdated practices or unforeseen vulnerabilities.

10. Utilize Automated Tools

The use of automated tools enhances efficiency and reduces manual intervention, thereby minimizing errors and saving time. A configuration management database (CMDB), for example, provides a centralized repository that stores information about the IT environment’s components and their relationships. This enables organizations to maintain an up-to-date inventory of their IT assets, ensuring that all configuration items are accurately documented and can easily be tracked for changes over time. Automated change management tools assist in overseeing and regulating the process of making changes to the configuration items within the IT environment. They help automate workflows, approve processes, and maintain an audit trail of all changes made. Security information and event management (SIEM) systems further augment the configuration management process by providing real-time analysis of security alerts generated by network hardware and applications so organizations can quickly detect and mitigate misconfigurations or unauthorized changes that could lead to security breaches.

11. Document Configuration Changes

Maintaining thorough documentation for each configuration change is crucial for effective system management and CMMC compliance. This documentation should record every aspect of the change process, including the specific changes made to system configurations, like settings modifications, software or hardware updates, and policy or procedure adjustments. It should also explain why the change was necessary and what the change aims to achieve. Documenting the approvals obtained is also essential to ensure that every change has been reviewed and authorized by the appropriate stakeholders. Conduct and document impact assessments that evaluate the potential effects of the change on the a system’s functionality, security, and performance to identify potential risks or benefits. Documenting configuration changes creates a transparent audit trail that can be reviewed during audits or compliance checks. It also enables troubleshooting issues, understanding system evolution, and making informed decisions about future modifications.

12. Implement Incident Response Procedures

Establish a comprehensive incident response plan specifically tailored to address configuration-related incidents. This plan should outline clear, step-by-step procedures for detecting, responding to, and mitigating incidents effectively. The plan should include methods for promptly identifying configuration-related incidents. This involves using monitoring tools and techniques to detect anomalies or deviations from standard configurations. Regular audits and automated alerts can help in early detection. The plan should also detail steps to mitigate the impact of the incident. This includes applying fixes or reverting to secure, predefined configurations. It may also involve patch management, system updates, and thorough testing to ensure the issue is fully resolved and does not recur. Finally, the plan should incorporate a post-incident review process. This allows the team to analyze the root causes of the incident, assess the effectiveness of the response, and update the incident response plan based on lessons learned. Regularly updating the plan is essential to adapt to new threats and improve response strategies.

How to Implement Configuration Management in Your Organization

Implementing configuration management within an organization ensures that all system resources are consistent and properly maintained. This process involves using standardized tools and practices to manage changes, automate deployments, and track modifications. By doing so, organizations can minimize errors, enhance productivity, and ensure that all systems operate efficiently and securely.

Kiteworks Helps Defense Contractors Meet the CMMC Configuration Management Requirement with a Private Content Network

Defense contractors can enhance their CMMC configuration management compliance efforts by establishing clear configuration management policies, maintaining baseline configurations, implementing rigorous change control processes, enforcing least functionality and least privilege principles, and leveraging automated tools. Other configuration management best practices, including regular audits, continuous training, and thorough documentation, further strengthen CMMC configuration management compliance efforts. Ultimately, adhering to CMMC configuration management requirements not only enables CMMC compliance but also fortifies the overall security posture of defense contractors, thereby ensuring the protection of critical information exchanged with the DoD.

The Kiteworks Private Content Network, a FIPS 140-2 Level validated secure file sharing and file transfer platform, consolidates email, file sharing, web forms, SFTP, managed file transfer, and next-generation digital rights management solution so organizations control, protect, and track every file as it enters and exits the organization.

Kiteworks supports nearly 90% of CMMC 2.0 Level 2 requirements out of the box. As a result, DoD contractors and subcontractors can accelerate their CMMC 2.0 Level 2 accreditation process by ensuring they have the right sensitive content communications platform in place.

With Kiteworks, DoD contractors and subcontractors unify their sensitive content communications into a dedicated Private Content Network, leveraging automated policy controls and tracking and cybersecurity protocols that align with CMMC 2.0 practices.

Kiteworks enables rapid CMMC 2.0 compliance with core capabilities and features including:

• Certification with key U.S. government compliance standards and requirements, including SSAE-16/SOC 2, NIST SP 800-171, and NIST SP 800-172
• FIPS 140-2 Level 1 validation
• FedRAMP Authorized for Moderate Impact Level CUI
• AES 256-bit encryption for data at rest, TLS 1.2 for data in transit, and sole encryption key ownership

Kiteworks deployment options include on-premises, hosted, private, hybrid, and FedRAMP virtual private cloud. With Kiteworks: control access to sensitive content; protect it when it’s shared externally using automated end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication, and security infrastructure integrations; see, track, and report all file activity, namely who sends what to whom, when, and how. Finally demonstrate compliance with regulations and standards like GDPR, HIPAA, CMMC, Cyber Essentials Plus, IRAP, and many more.

To learn more about Kiteworks, schedule a custom demo today.

Additional Resources

• Blog Post CMMC Compliance for Small Businesses: Challenges and Solutions
• Blog Post If You Need to Comply With CMMC 2.0, Here Is Your Complete CMMC Compliance Checklist
• Blog Post CMMC Audit Requirements: What Assessors Need to See When Gauging Your CMMC Readiness
• Guide  CMMC 2.0 Compliance Mapping for Sensitive Content Communications
• Blog Post 
  12 Things Defense Industrial Base Suppliers Need to Know When Preparing for CMMC 2.0 Compliance