Breaking through the CrowdStrike Outage

CrowdStrike Outage

On July 18, CrowdStrike, an independent cybersecurity company, released a software update that began impacting IT systems globally. Although this was not a Microsoft incident, Microsoft has stepped up and provided an update on steps taken with CrowdStrike since then to remediate and support customers impacted. Here are ways in which they have/are continuing to work alongside users to help restore their services and trust:

1) Engaging with CrowdStrike to automate their work on developing a solution. Instructions to remedy the situation on Windows endpoints were posted on the Windows Message Center. 

2) Deploying hundreds of Microsoft engineers and experts to work directly with customers to restore services.

3) Collaborating with other cloud providers and stakeholders, including Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Amazon Web Services (AWS), to share awareness on the state of impact we were seeing across the industry and inform ongoing conversations with CrowdStrike and customers.

4) Posting manual remediation documentation and scripts found here.

5) Keeping customers informed of the latest status on the incident through the Azure Status Dashboard here.

While software updates may occasionally cause disturbances, significant incidents like the CrowdStrike event are infrequent. That’s why we will always be dedicated to helping our own clients be informed to prioritize your IT safety!

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Ready or Not, CMMC 2.0 is coming our way in 2025!

CMMC

It has now been made aware that the Pentagon’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 is on track to start at the beginning of next year, according to communications at the Department of Defense.

As many contractors know, the goal of CMMC 2.0 is to create an upgraded version of the cyber certification program designed to strengthen the defense industrial base’s cybersecurity capabilities. But are they fully aware of the expectations?

Two major expectations to keep in mind when updating CMMC compliance for your contracting company are:

#1: You must adhere to controls set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171.

#2: CMMC 2.0 will require contractors and subcontractors to do either self-assessments or evaluations by a third-party assessment organization (C3PAOs) or government evaluators.

- This depends on the contractor’s capacity to control unclassified or classified information, meaning these self-assessments are only doable through level 1 and some of level 2 which are the levels with the least controlled unclassified or classified capabilities.

- Level 3 partners, given their level of classification, will not be eligible for any self-assessments but will have to go through government evaluators; a step up from C3PAOs.

The Pentagon will be planning to roll out CMMC 2.0 in parts. The rollout phase is supposed to begin early next year, but the Pentagon intends to include CMMC requirements in all applications on or after Oct.1, 2026, according to the federal register. However, waivers may be issued in select cases.

Ready to stay above competition with CMMC?

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