Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 (CMMC 2.0) is pushing federal contractors to demonstrate, not just assert, that they can protect sensitive government data. Eligibility for contracts now depends on the ability to show how controlled unclassified information (CUI) is handled, why specific safeguards were selected and whether those safeguards operate consistently under scrutiny from assessors, agencies and prime contractors. This shift introduces greater accountability for CISOs, who are already contending with cloud expansion and evolving federal expectations. CMMC 2.0 CMMC was introduced to address inconsistent self-attestation across the defense industrial base. For years, age...