Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model

David Pereira
3 min readFeb 27, 2023

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity threats are becoming more sophisticated and prevalent than ever before. In order to effectively manage these risks, organizations must establish robust cybersecurity measures and practices. The Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a valuable framework that provides a structured approach to achieving cybersecurity readiness and resilience. https://www.energy.gov/ceser/cybersecurity-capability-maturity-model-c2m2

The Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (C2M2) is a framework designed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to assess and improve the cybersecurity capabilities of organizations that manage critical infrastructure systems. The C2M2 model provides a structured approach to evaluating an organization’s cybersecurity capabilities, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and developing a roadmap for improvement.

The C2M2 model is based on five cybersecurity capability domains:

  1. Governance: The policies, procedures, and organizational structure that enable effective cybersecurity risk management.
  2. Risk Management: The identification, assessment, and prioritization of cybersecurity risks, and the development and implementation of controls to manage those risks.
  3. Asset Management: The identification, inventory, and classification of critical assets, and the development and implementation of controls to protect those assets.
  4. Access Control: The management of user access to systems and data, including authentication, authorization, and accountability.
  5. External Dependencies Management: The management of cybersecurity risks associated with external dependencies, such as third-party vendors, suppliers, and partners.

Each domain is divided into five maturity levels, ranging from 0 (nonexistent) to 4 (optimized). The maturity levels represent different stages of cybersecurity capability development, with level 0 representing no capability, and level 4 representing a fully optimized capability.

The C2M2 model includes a self-assessment tool that allows organizations to evaluate their cybersecurity capabilities within each domain and maturity level. The tool provides a set of questions and prompts for each maturity level, and organizations can use the responses to assess their current capability and identify areas for improvement.

The C2M2 model also includes guidance for organizations to use the assessment results to develop a roadmap for improving their cybersecurity capabilities. The roadmap should identify specific actions and priorities for each domain and maturity level, and should be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changing cybersecurity risks and organizational priorities.

Overall, the C2M2 model provides a structured and comprehensive approach to assessing and improving cybersecurity capabilities for organizations that manage critical infrastructure systems. By using the model, organizations can identify their strengths and weaknesses, develop a roadmap for improvement, and ultimately improve their ability to protect against cybersecurity threats.

The C2M2 is a comprehensive framework that consists of five levels, each of which reflects an increasing level of cybersecurity maturity. These levels are:

  1. Initial: Organizations at this level have an ad-hoc approach to cybersecurity and lack formalized processes for managing cybersecurity risks.
  2. Managed: Organizations at this level have established basic cybersecurity controls, but these controls are not integrated into their overall business processes.
  3. Defined: Organizations at this level have a formalized and documented cybersecurity program that is integrated into their business processes.
  4. Measured: Organizations at this level have established metrics and measurements to track the effectiveness of their cybersecurity program.
  5. Optimized: Organizations at this level continuously improve their cybersecurity program by incorporating feedback and refining their processes.

The C2M2 provides a roadmap for organizations to improve their cybersecurity posture and become more resilient to cyber threats. By following the framework, organizations can identify areas of weakness and implement appropriate controls to mitigate cybersecurity risks.

One of the key benefits of the C2M2 is that it allows organizations to benchmark their cybersecurity maturity against industry standards and best practices. This helps organizations to identify areas where they need to improve and prioritize their cybersecurity investments.

The C2M2 can also help organizations to improve their cybersecurity posture by providing a common language for discussing cybersecurity risks and controls. This can improve communication and collaboration between different departments within an organization, and between different organizations.

In addition, the C2M2 can help organizations to manage third-party cybersecurity risks by establishing a common framework for assessing the cybersecurity maturity of their suppliers and vendors.

Overall, the Cybersecurity Maturity Model is a valuable framework for organizations that want to improve their cybersecurity readiness and resilience. By following the framework, organizations can establish a structured approach to managing cybersecurity risks, benchmark their cybersecurity maturity against industry standards and best practices, and improve their communication and collaboration around cybersecurity issues.

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David Pereira

Founder and CEO of SecPro, is a Published Author, Ethical Hacking instructor for DoD +8570, Secret Service, USAF, Researcher and Consultant +25 years