DOD CMMC Compliance by way of Hardware-Encrypted Removable Media

Posted by Apricorn on Oct 30th 2025

Hardware-Encrypted Removable Media: Closing the Gap in Your DOD CMMC Compliance

 

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) is no longer a looming deadline—it’s a contractual reality for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). If your organization processes, stores, or transmits Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or Federal Contract Information (FCI), you know that achieving and maintaining compliance with standards like NIST SP 800-171 is now a non-negotiable requirement for working with the Department of Defense (DoD).

But let's be honest: in the rush to meet the 110 controls for CMMC Level 2, many companies focus on complex, expensive, and time-consuming software solutions. They end up creating security stacks that are overly complicated, difficult to manage, and still leave a critical vulnerability exposed: removable media and mobile data.

This is where your strategy needs a simple, powerful shift.

The CMMC Control That Demands Better Removable Media Protection

CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 have clear requirements for protecting data-at-rest and data-in-transit. One control in particular highlights the risk of portable storage:

Control 3.8.7: Control the use of removable media on system components.

This control, and others related to media protection and encryption, require you to manage the risks associated with USB drives, external hard drives, and other portable devices. For many organizations, the knee-jerk solution is to implement policies that simply ban portable storage—but this ignores the reality of modern work, field operations, and data sharing with authorized partners. And the same whitelisting software used for disallowing USB devices can just as easily be provisioned to permit only pre-authorized serialized devices.

A better, more robust approach is to ensure that any removable media used to store or transfer CUI is protected with FIPS-validated, hardware-based encryption.

Why Apricorn's Hardware Encryption Simplifies CMMC Compliance

Apricorn’s family of secure drives and encrypted USB keys are designed from the ground up to solve the challenges of CMMC and NIST SP 800-171 compliance, specifically in the area of portable storage.

Here is why Apricorn devices are your CMMC secret weapon:

  1. FIPS Validation Matters

For any device handling CUI, the DoD requires the use of encryption that meets federal standards. Apricorn's Aegis devices feature 256-bit AES XTS hardware encryption and are FIPS 140-2 Level 2 or Level 3 validated.

  • Software-Free: The encryption engine is built directly into the device's hardware, meaning the encryption, and all other critical security parameters including authentication, operate completely independent of the host operating system. This is a crucial distinction that eliminates a huge number of vulnerabilities associated with software-based encryption.
  • Tamper-Proof: Apricorn drives feature a protective epoxy coating to deter physical access to the encryption components, a requirement of FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validation.
  1. PIN-Authenticated Access Control (Control 3.1.1)

A core requirement of CMMC is Access Control. Apricorn drives are PIN-authenticated via an onboard keypad, requiring a user to enter a dedicated PIN before the drive will be recognized by its host computer. This is a far more secure, and auditable, method of access control than relying on operating system passwords.

  1. Centralized Management for Compliance

Managing hundreds of devices across multiple sites can make demonstrating continuous compliance a nightmare. Our Aegis Configurator tool allows your IT or security team to quickly and uniformly configure multiple drives with mandatory security settings like minimum PIN length, brute-force defense limits, and forced read-only modes—all essential for maintaining your CMMC security posture.

Beyond Compliance: Achieving True Data Security

CMMC is not just about a certification; it’s about a commitment to protecting our nation's most sensitive information. By integrating Apricorn's FIPS-validated, hardware-encrypted solutions into your security architecture, you gain:

  • A Clear Audit Trail: Your C3PAO (Certified Third-Party Assessment Organization) will want clear evidence that you are protecting CUI on removable media. Hardware encryption provides a provable, government-validated defense.
  • Reduced Scope and Risk: By segmenting and protecting CUI on a FIPS-validated device, you potentially reduce the network and system components that fall into the full CMMC assessment scope.
  • Simple, User-Friendly Security: Employees simply enter their PIN and the data is secure. No software installation, no complex client apps, just instant, secure access.

CMMC is here. Don't let your portable data be the weak link in your security chain. Upgrade to Apricorn’s hardware-encrypted drives and make CMMC compliance simpler, stronger, and more secure.

Ready to Fortify Your CMMC Compliance?

[Link to your CMMC/NIST product page] Discover the full line of Apricorn FIPS-validated, hardware-encrypted solutions.

[Link to a 'Contact Us for Government/Defense' form] Talk to an Apricorn CMMC specialist today.