CMMC 2.0 is the DoD's mandatory certification for contractors handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Phased rollout means thousands of defense-adjacent vendors must achieve CMMC Level 2 by 2026-2028.
CMMC Level 2 requires NIST SP 800-171 compliance including AU (Audit and Accountability) family
Defense Industrial Base contractors must demonstrate audit log integrity to maintain DoD contracts
Third-party assessor (C3PAO) evaluations require demonstrable audit evidence
CMMC findings flow to contract eligibility — log gaps directly threaten revenue
CMMC is the Department of Defense (DoD) framework that ensures defense industrial base (DIB) contractors protect Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). CMMC 2.0 streamlined the model to three levels, with Level 2 mapping directly to NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2. The Audit and Accountability (AU) domain is critical for CMMC compliance, requiring organizations to create, protect, and review audit records. Starting in 2025, CMMC certification is required in DoD contracts, affecting over 300,000 contractors in the defense supply chain.
Retention requirement: Per NIST SP 800-171: organization-defined, typically 1-3 years
All CUI access events
All authentication events
All privileged user actions
All system component changes
All security incident events
Create and retain system audit records to enable monitoring, analysis, investigation, and reporting of unlawful, unauthorized, or inappropriate system activity.
AuditKit: Immutable hash chain logging with configurable retention policies
Ensure that the actions of individual system users can be uniquely traced to those users so they can be held accountable for their actions.
AuditKit: Actor-level event attribution with tenant isolation ensures individual traceability
Review and update the set of audited events. Update events based on changes in mission/business functions, threats, or system vulnerabilities.
AuditKit: Configurable event types with SDK-level control over what gets logged
Correlate audit record review, analysis, and reporting processes for investigation and response to unlawful activities.
AuditKit: SIEM streaming enables correlation across systems with structured event data
SHA-256 hash chains and Merkle tree proofs provide mathematical proof that audit records have not been altered. This is increasingly the standard mechanism for satisfying CMMC log-integrity requirements — assessors no longer accept policy-only controls.
GovTech platforms typically serve multiple customers from shared infrastructure. AuditKit enforces strict tenant isolation at the infrastructure level — your customers' audit data is logically separated, satisfying data segregation requirements common in CMMC assessments.
Stream audit events to Splunk, Datadog, Elastic, or any SIEM your security team uses. CMMC increasingly requires real-time monitoring, not just retained logs — AuditKit ships native streaming with at-least-once delivery semantics.
The AuditKit React viewer gives CMMC auditors a clear interface for evidence review — filtered queries, integrity verification UI, and exportable evidence packages. Cuts auditor request cycles by 60-80% in typical engagements.
CMMC 2.0 has three levels: Foundational (Level 1), Advanced (Level 2), and Expert (Level 3)
Level 2 maps to 110 security requirements from NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2
CMMC certification is required for DoD contracts starting in 2025 under the CMMC Final Rule
Over 300,000 companies in the Defense Industrial Base are affected by CMMC requirements
If you handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), CMMC Level 2 is the minimum. If you handle only Federal Contract Information (FCI), CMMC Level 1 may suffice. Most govtech SaaS handling agency data requires Level 2.
CMMC Level 2 requires implementation of NIST SP 800-171 audit controls including creating audit records (3.3.1), ensuring individual accountability (3.3.2), reviewing audited events (3.3.3), and correlating audit records (3.3.5). AuditKit provides immutable logging with cryptographic integrity that satisfies these requirements.
FedRAMP requires implementation of NIST SP 800-53 AU controls including AU-2 (event logging), AU-3 (content requirements), AU-6 (review and analysis), AU-9 (protection of audit information), and AU-12 (audit record generation). AuditKit provides all of these capabilities with SHA-256 hash chains for cryptographic integrity.
FedRAMP is the federal cloud-vendor gating requirement. Without an ATO (Authority to Operate), you cannot sell to federal agencies. Audit logging is one of the most heavily scrutinized control families in FedRAMP assessments.
State and local government procurement often requires SOC 2 Type II as a baseline before FedRAMP becomes relevant. SOC 2 is the stepping stone to government sales for many govtech SaaS companies.
Tamper-proof audit trails that satisfy CMMC requirements out of the box. Start from $99/mo.