In our continuing series on penetration testing, we have discussed different approaches to pen testing the benefits of conducting such tests. Here, we will continue by addressing penetration testing as a practice inside one of the most important security frameworks for federal agencies and contractors: NIST 800-53.

While the core documentation of NIST 900-53 contains hundreds of security controls, one dedicated section speaks to the value and best practices of penetration testing. Here, we’ll discuss how penetration testing plays a role in NIST 800-compliance and how you can incorporate it into your compliance strategy. 

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Major infrastructure in the United States is under attack. As more heavy industrial companies, defense contractors and government agencies increasingly rely on cloud platforms and IT solutions to serve their users and constituents, hackers are finding ways to leverage vulnerabilities and steal information. 

The problem with these attacks is that they are taking advantage of the fact that a flaw in a cloud platform can undermine security with a completely unrelated company or industry. As we’ve learned from the SolarWinds hack, the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and now the LineStar attack, a single flaw in a cloud platform can open up critical energy production and manufacturing operations to being held hostage for millions of dollars in ransom.

Ransomware isn’t just a consumer issue. Here, we cover the state of ransomware in 2021 and how different organizations are responding to the problem.

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Cloud and IT services in federal and defense markets are a booming business. The national infrastructure is turning to stable and flexible IT infrastructure to help mobilize the supply chain in a way that can meet modern security and domestic challenges. Accordingly, many businesses are turning to new certification frameworks like CMMC to support contracting in these areas. 

Here we’re talking about what it means to prepare for CMMC certification. Contrary to popular belief, there are steps you can take to prepare before you even meet with a professional auditor to help that partner better serve you and streamline your compliance process. 

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