Resources & Insights
Cybersecurity Resources & Blog
Plain-language guidance on cybersecurity grants, CMMC compliance, pen testing, employee training, and certifications for small businesses and defense contractors.
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Cybersecurity Grants
Your First 90 Days With an In-Kind Cybersecurity Grant
What changes in the first 90 days of an in-kind cybersecurity grant, and why the CMMC Phase 2 pause makes now the right time to start.
CMMC Compliance
The CMMC Pause Is Not a Pause on Protecting Your Data
CMMC Phase II is paused, but new reporting shows the real effort sits in NIST SP 800-171, which already applies. Here is what to keep doing, calmly.
CMMC Compliance
Compliance Nobody Can See Does Not Build Trust. Here Is How to Show It.
Small defense contractors can turn CMMC compliance work into proof primes and customers trust. Here is how an in-kind grant recipient tells that story.
CMMC Compliance
Why Primes Now Choose Suppliers by Cybersecurity Posture
With CMMC Phase 2 starting November 10, 2026, primes must verify supplier cybersecurity before subcontracting. Here is what it means for small firms.
CMMC Compliance
CMMC Level 2 Explained for a Shop That Has Never Had a Security Program
New to cybersecurity? Here is what CMMC Level 2 asks of a small defense shop, what is still unsettled about Phase 2, and where to start this month.
Threat Intelligence
When an AI Chat Tells You to Paste a Command, the Answer Is No
An IT team reported an AI chat that sent a user to a fake verification page. Here is the one rule that protects a small team.
Cybersecurity Grants
What an In-Kind CMMC Gap Assessment Does for Your Standing With Your Prime
CMMC Phase 2 is suspended; Phase 1 self-assessments still apply. Learn what an in-kind gap assessment shows your prime, and how contractors use it.
Cybersecurity Grants
The First Hour of a Ransomware Attack: What Happens and What to Do
What happens in the first hour of a ransomware attack, and what a small business, nonprofit or defense contractor should do before, during and after.
CMMC Compliance
How Small Manufacturers Start NIST 800-171, No Consultant
A plain-language starting plan for small manufacturers facing NIST 800-171: find your CUI, shrink your scope, score yourself honestly, and find help at no cost.
CMMC Compliance
The Controls That Stop Most Attacks Are Already Sitting in Your Admin Console
Most breaches start with stolen logins, unpatched software or email. Here are the low effort controls that stop them, and how they map to CMMC and 800-171.
CMMC Compliance
SMB1001 and the Case for Tiered Certification When CMMC Is Out of Reach
What SMB1001 is, how tiered cyber certification works, and how small teams and nonprofits can build real maturity before CMMC becomes a requirement.
Grant Programs
Ten Minutes On The Agenda: What A Nonprofit Board Should Ask About Cybersecurity
Five questions every nonprofit board should put on the agenda, what good answers sound like, and what to write down before your next audit or grant report.
CMMC Compliance
Reading Your Own Risk Honestly When Nobody Is Auditing You
How small businesses, nonprofits and defense suppliers can assess their own cyber risk honestly, before a buyer, insurer or assessor ever asks.
Grant Programs
The Cybersecurity Divide, and Who Gets Left on the Wrong Side of It
Some sectors now get organized cybersecurity help while others carry identical requirements alone. Here is how the divide forms, and what to do if you are on the wrong side of it.
CMMC Compliance
Why Small Suppliers Get Breached Through the Door the Prime Left Open
Small suppliers often get breached through access their prime set up. Here is how shared portals and credentials become your problem, and what to ask.
CMMC Compliance
Cyber Hygiene When Nobody On Staff Owns IT
No IT staff? Here is an ordered, plain-language starting point for cyber hygiene, plus how to read this week’s CMMC Level 2 news without panicking.
CMMC Compliance
CMMC Is Paused. Small Contractors Still Need Help.
The Department of War paused CMMC Phase 2, and the SBA backed the decision because small contractors were being squeezed out. Here is what changes.
CMMC Compliance
Gap Assessment vs Vulnerability Scan: What Each Tells You
A scan finds technical weaknesses. A gap assessment tells you whether your program meets a control set. Here is what each one can and cannot prove, and why the CMMC Phase II pause is not a reason to stop.
Grant Programs
Why Phishing Is the #1 Threat for Defense Industry Employees and How to Fight It
Phishing is still the top breach vector, and defense suppliers are prime targets. Here is how modern attacks work and how an in-kind training program builds the defense your filters cannot.
CMMC Compliance
What DoD Construction Contractors Need to Know About CMMC in 2026
CMMC applies to construction firms building on DoD sites, and many are landing at Level 2 without realizing it. Here is what CUI looks like in construction and how to get your assessment at no cost.
Cybersecurity Grants
Why Aerospace Parts Manufacturers Are Prime Ransomware Targets in 2026
Ransomware groups including Qilin and LockBit are targeting aerospace parts suppliers in 2026. Here is why your shop is in the crosshairs and how an in-kind pen test helps you respond.
Cybersecurity Grants
The True Cost of a Ransomware Attack on a US Small Manufacturing Business
Manufacturing absorbed nearly one in five global ransomware attacks in Q1 2026. Here is what an attack actually costs a small shop and the single most cost-effective step to avoid one.
CMMC Compliance
CMMC Rule Status: Phase 1 Self-Assessment Still Holds (Phase 2 Since Suspended)
A dated status note from July 2026: Phase 1 self-assessment held that week. Phase 2, then set for November 10, 2026, was suspended on July 13, 2026.
CMMC Compliance
Staffing Firms Supporting Defense Programs: Do You Need CMMC Compliance?
Staffing agencies placing workers on defense programs may need CMMC compliance. Learn when it applies, which level you need, and how to cover your assessment.
Grant Programs
In-Kind Employee Cybersecurity Training for Federal Construction Contractors
Federal construction contractors can get employee cybersecurity training at no cost through a CGA grant. Phishing simulations, security awareness modules, and incident response basics at no cost.
Grant Programs
State Cybersecurity Grants for Defense Manufacturers: What Is Available in Your State
Most DIB manufacturers do not know state cybersecurity grants exist. This guide covers Michigan, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Virginia programs.
CMMC Compliance
Your CMMC Gap Assessment Results Are In: Here Is What to Do Next
Got your CMMC gap assessment results? Here is a clear, step-by-step guide to triaging findings, building your POA&M, funding remediation, and getting certified.
CMMC Compliance
What Is CUI? A Plain-Language Guide for Manufacturers Who Handle Defense Data
CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information) determines whether you need CMMC Level 2. This plain-language guide explains what CUI is in a manufacturing context.
CMMC Compliance
CMMC Subcontractor Guide: What Flow-Down Requirements Actually Mean for Your Business
If you are a subcontractor in the defense supply chain, CMMC almost certainly applies to you. Learn what flow-down requirements mean and where to start.
Grant Programs
How the CGA Pen Testing Grant Works (Not Currently Available)
Cyber Grants Alliance covers professional penetration testing for qualifying DIB manufacturers at no cost. Learn how the grant works and how to apply.
Grant Programs
How to Pay for CMMC Compliance: Grants, MEP Programs, and State Funding Options
CMMC Level 2 certification is a major cost for a small contractor. Here is how CGA's in-kind grants, MEP center programs, and state programs fit together.
CMMC Deadline
The November 2026 CMMC Deadline, Now Suspended: What Small Manufacturers Should Do
CMMC Phase 2, once set for November 10, 2026, was suspended on July 13, 2026. Here is what still applies and the four-step action plan.
CMMC Compliance
CMMC Level 1 vs. Level 2: Which One Applies to Your DoD Contract?
A plain-language guide to the difference between CMMC Level 1 and Level 2, how to find out which applies to your contracts, and what to do next.
CMMC Compliance
What Is a CMMC Gap Assessment and Can You Get One at No Cost?
What a CMMC gap assessment is, why you need one while CMMC Phase 2 is under review, and how to get one in-kind through Cyber Grants Alliance.
Check out the latest Monthly Threat Intelligence report
Each week CGA publishes a plain-language threat briefing for small defense contractors: what is happening, what it means, and what to do about it.