CMMC Level 2

Control 3.12.3

Monitor Security Controls on an Ongoing Basis

CMMC-RP Certified Team 24+ Years Experience CMMC-AB RPO #1449

Official Requirement

Monitor security controls on an ongoing basis to ensure the continued effectiveness of the controls.

What This Means in Plain English

Security controls must be continuously monitored, not just checked once a year. Use automated tools to verify that controls remain effective and alert you when they degrade or fail.

How Petronella Implements This Control

Petronella Technology Group implements this control through:

  • Arctic Wolf SIEM providing continuous monitoring of security events and control effectiveness
  • CrowdStrike Falcon and Sophos XDR monitoring endpoint protection status in real-time
  • Microsoft Secure Score tracking cloud security posture continuously
  • Automated compliance dashboards in ComplianceArmor showing control status
  • Weekly security posture reviews by the security team assessing control health

Assessment Guidance

Assessors will review continuous monitoring mechanisms and dashboards, verify that control failures are detected and alerted, check that monitoring covers all critical security controls, and confirm that monitoring results inform security decisions.

Common Implementation Gaps

  • No continuous monitoring -- controls only checked during annual assessments
  • SIEM deployed but dashboards not reviewed regularly
  • No automated alerting when controls degrade
  • Monitoring coverage gaps (some controls not monitored)
  • Monitoring data not used to inform remediation decisions

Cross-Framework Mapping

FrameworkMapped Controls
NIST SP 800-53CA-7
PCI DSSReq 11.5 - Deploy a change-detection mechanism
CP
By Craig Petronella
Founder, Petronella Technology Group | CMMC-RP (RPO #1449) | DFE #604180 | MIT-Certified in AI and Blockchain
Craig has helped North Carolina defense contractors prepare for CMMC assessments since 2002 and authored the CMMC 2.0 Certification Guide. Read the LinkedIn profile or verify the RPO listing at the CyberAB Marketplace.

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