The Defense Department officially entered into an agreement with the nonprofit corporation that will serve as the accreditation body for its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program, the chief information security officer for the department's acquisition office confirmed. 

"Yesterday the CMMC accreditation body made a public post that we have executed the [memorandum of understanding],"  said Katie Arrington, who is spearheading the program and participated in a  webcast on the issue Thursday. 

A resolute Arrington sought to quash any idea that the government's efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic would delay the Defense Department's  plan to validate contractors' cybersecurity claims using independent third-party auditors. 

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