Cybersecurity Maturity Assessment Tool

CMMC has 5 levels: Level 1 (Basic Cyber Hygiene)—foundational practices; Level 2 (Intermediate Cyber Hygiene)—documented processes; Level 3 (Good Cyber Hygiene)—managed and measured; Level 4 (Proactive)—reviewed and controlled; Level 5 (Advanced/Progressive)—optimized. Each level builds on previous, with specific practice and process requirements. Defense contractors must achieve required levels.

NIST CSF defines 4 Implementation Tiers: Tier 1 (Partial)—ad-hoc, reactive; Tier 2 (Risk Informed)—management awareness, repeatable; Tier 3 (Repeatable)—formalized policies, consistent; Tier 4 (Adaptive)—continuous improvement, threat-informed. Tiers reflect sophistication of risk management, integration with business, and security culture. Organizations progress through tiers as capabilities mature.

Common domains include: Governance and Risk Management, Asset Management, Access Control, Threat Detection and Response, Vulnerability Management, Data Protection, Network Security, Security Awareness Training, Incident Response, Business Continuity, Third-Party Risk, Compliance and Audit, Security Architecture, and Security Operations. Each domain evaluates people, processes, and technology capabilities.

Start with baseline assessment to identify current level. Prioritize improvements based on risk and compliance requirements. Develop roadmap with specific milestones and metrics. Focus on foundational controls first (asset inventory, access management, patching). Document processes and policies. Implement consistent practices across organization. Measure and track progress. Engage leadership for resources and accountability. Expect 2-3 years for significant advancement.

Indicators include: no documented security policies, reactive rather than proactive security, inconsistent security practices across teams, lack of asset inventory, manual security processes, no security metrics or reporting, limited security awareness, ad-hoc incident response, undefined roles and responsibilities, minimal third-party risk management, and compliance-driven only security. These suggest Maturity Level 1 requiring fundamental improvements.

Higher maturity significantly eases compliance. Level 1-2 organizations struggle with compliance, requiring extensive effort for each audit. Level 3-4 organizations have integrated compliance into operations with continuous controls monitoring. Mature programs maintain compliance as byproduct of strong security practices. Many frameworks (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2) effectively require minimum Level 2-3 maturity.

Mature security programs deliver measurable ROI: reduced breach likelihood (60-80% lower for Level 4 vs Level 1), faster incident detection and response (80% reduction in containment time), lower compliance costs, reduced cyber insurance premiums (20-40% savings), improved customer trust, competitive advantage in regulated markets, and operational efficiency. Maturity investment pays dividends in risk reduction and business enablement.

Risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually, or whenever significant changes occur to your systems, processes, or threat landscape. Regular reviews ensure your security controls remain effective against evolving threats.