The Department of Defense intends to implement new cybersecurity standards for government contractors by January 2020, FedScoop reported Friday.
DoD will work with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute to develop the proposed standards – Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.
The department will tap third-party companies to assess the contractors’ compliance with the standards and establish a cyber education and training center. The proposed five-level standards will merge the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s cyber guidance with industry and academic organizations’ recommendations.
Once implemented, the level of cybersecurity will be specified on all solicitations for contracts.
Katie Arrington, special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense acquisition for cyber, announced the proposed standards on Thursday during a Professional Services Council conference and called on the industry to collaborate with the government to ensure data security.