Locating Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) within your environment is a critical step toward achieving Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliance. CUI is sensitive, unclassified information that must be safeguarded from unauthorized access, disclosure, or misuse. Failure to properly identify and secure it can lead to serious risks including data breaches, compliance penalties, and loss of DoD contracts.
Finding and documenting where CUI lives is vital for several reasons:
The scope of your CMMC assessment is defined by where CUI resides and how it flows through your systems. A reliable CUI discovery tool ensures you identify all locations so nothing is overlooked.
Once you’ve located CUI, you can apply the security measures required by the CMMC framework, such as moving sensitive data to secure enclaves.
A CUI discovery tool like Teramis helps you demonstrate to assessors that you can consistently locate, manage, and protect CUI reducing the risk of non-compliance findings.
Organizations can use several methods to locate CUI across systems, networks, and processes:
For complex or legacy environments, manually tracing CUI flow and storage locations may still be required. This process includes documenting where CUI is stored, processed, or transmitted.
Partnering with data owners, subject matter experts, and staff who handle CUI can reveal repositories and processes that automated scans might miss.
To ensure your CUI discovery process is both comprehensive and ongoing, follow these best practices:
Outline your methodology, scope to ensure a consistent approach.
Help employees understand what qualifies as CUI, why it matters, and how to handle it securely.
Limit CUI access to authorized personnel to reduce the risk of accidental exposure.
As your systems and data change, update your CUI inventory and repeat discovery scans regularly.
By leveraging a purpose-built CUI discovery tool like Teramis, organizations can streamline the process of locating and managing CUI, strengthen their compliance posture, and reduce the risks associated with mishandling sensitive information.