According to Forbes, the 40-day government shutdown that began October 1 is finally ending through Senate action, but federal cybersecurity capabilities remain severely compromised. Roughly 750,000 federal workers were affected, with CISA seeing two-thirds of its workforce furloughed at various points during the crisis. Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act expired October 1, eliminating legal protections for companies sharing threat intelligence. Most critically, November 10 marks the official start of CMMC enforcement for all Defense Industrial Base contractors, beginning a three-year, four-phase rollout that will immediately impact contract eligibility.
Cybersecurity crisis deepens
Here’s the thing about government shutdowns – they don’t just pause paychecks, they create massive security vulnerabilities. When CISA, our main federal cyber defense agency, loses two-thirds of its workforce, that’s not just an operational headache. It’s an open invitation to adversaries who absolutely notice when our guard is down. And they’re not just noticing – they’re exploiting the chaos.
The expired information sharing law makes this even worse. Basically, companies now have to think twice before sharing threat data with the government because the legal protections vanished. So we’ve got weakened detection capabilities on the government side AND chilled information sharing from the private sector. That’s a recipe for slower response times and more successful attacks.
CMMC rollout reality
Now here comes CMMC right in the middle of this mess. Starting November 10, defense contractors need to take this seriously because contracting officers now have discretion to require CMMC Level 1 or 2 self-assessments. And in this environment, you can bet they’ll use that discretion on critical programs.
Think about the timing though. Federal contracting officers are digging out from 40 days of shutdown backlog. DCSA is playing catch-up on security visits and clearances. CISA is rebuilding. Yet defense contractors are expected to meet these new requirements while their government counterparts are still recovering. It’s like trying to dance while your partner’s still tying their shoes.
Practical implications
If you’re in the defense supply chain, here’s what this means: competitors who are CMMC-ready will absolutely use this as a competitive wedge. In an environment where everyone’s worried about supply chain security, contracting officers will naturally gravitate toward the path of least resistance – and that means working with compliant companies.
And don’t think the shutdown gives you an excuse either. The rule is live, and for critical multi-year programs, CMMC readiness needs to be treated as a board-level risk. Companies that invested early in robust cybersecurity infrastructure, including secure industrial computing systems from providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs, are suddenly looking pretty smart right now.
Long-term lessons
So what’s the takeaway from this perfect storm? Cyber threats don’t care about political deadlines. Nation-state actors aren’t rescheduling their operations because Congress can’t get its act together. The fundamental problem is that we’re trying to build cybersecurity resilience in a system that’s constantly being destabilized by budget fights.
The real question isn’t whether Washington will get its act together – it’s whether your organization can build programs that withstand the inevitable next crisis. Because the shutdown will end, the headlines will move on, but CMMC and the threat environment aren’t going anywhere. Your move.
