The Socium Blog

For many organizations in the Defense Industrial Base, the CMMC conversation begins with a familiar question: What do we need to do to become compliant? It’s an understandable question. But it may not be the right place to start. Before determining which controls need to be implemented, which systems need to be assessed, or how much compliance will cost, organizations need confidence in something more fundamental: What information are we actually protecting—and where does it

A security program is the system an organization uses to identify, prioritize, manage, and continuously reduce cybersecurity risk. It connects governance, people, processes, technology, and measurement so security decisions support business objectives—not merely compliance requirements. A collection of security tools is not a security program. Neither is a policy library, annual assessment, or successful audit. Those elements may contribute to a program, but they do not prove

Private equity holding periods are getting longer, and that changes the economics of technology and cybersecurity investment. A portfolio company may enter an investment period with a clear value-creation plan, a defined technology roadmap, and an initial understanding of its cybersecurity risks. But when a five-year hold becomes six, seven, or eight years, those original assumptions begin to age. Systems reach end of life. New applications are introduced. Add-on acquisitions

A company can have firewalls, endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, and security policies—and still have weaknesses an attacker could exploit. What is a penetration test? A penetration test is an authorized security exercise in which cybersecurity professionals simulate real-world attacks against an organization’s systems, applications, networks, or employees. The objective is to identify vulnerabilities, demonstrate their potential impact, and help the organizati

Many machine shops, metal fabricators, welders, finishers, and specialty manufacturers do not think of themselves as defense contractors. They make parts. They cut, bend, weld, coat, assemble, package, and deliver. They support aerospace, automotive, industrial, energy, medical device, and government-adjacent supply chains. Cybersecurity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when a customer sends over a drawing, purchase order, technical specification, or supplier que

A growing number of people are rethinking how much of their daily life they want tied to a smartphone. For some, going back to a flip phone is about focus, privacy, simplicity, or reducing digital distraction. But for businesses, the flip phone trend raises a bigger cybersecurity question: What happens to multi-factor authentication when users do not have, cannot use, or do not want to rely on a smartphone? For many organizations, the smartphone has quietly become the default

Modern businesses depend on third-party platforms, SaaS applications, cloud services, APIs, and connected tools to operate efficiently. These technologies help teams move faster, but they also create an important security question: If a trusted third party is compromised, what access could they have into your business? The recent Klue integration incident is a timely reminder that third-party risk management must go beyond vendor questionnaires and annual reviews. It must als

For many mid-market companies, the security questionnaire arrives at the worst possible moment—late in the sales cycle, when momentum is high, internal teams are stretched, and the customer is nearly ready to move forward. What should be a routine step quickly turns into a scramble. Sales needs answers fast. IT is asked for technical details. Engineering is pulled in to explain architecture. Legal reviews language. Leadership wants to know whether the deal is at risk. At that