CMMCLevel 1focuses onbasic cyber hygieneand includes17 practicesderived fromNIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2butonly covers the protection of Federal Contract Information (FCI)—not Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).
UnlikeLevel 2, which aligns fully withNIST SP 800-171,Level 1 does not require third-party certificationand can beself-assessedby the organization.
Domains Covered in a Level 1 Self-Assessment
CMMC Level 1 practices fall underthree specific domains:
Access Control (AC)– Ensures that only authorized individuals can access FCI.
Physical Protection (PE)– Protects physical access to systems and facilities storing FCI.
Identification and Authentication (IA)– Verifies the identity of users accessing systems containing FCI.
These domains focus on foundational security controls necessary toprotect FCI from unauthorized access.
Official CMMC 2.0 Documentation References
CMMC Model v2.0states thatLevel 1 includes only 17 practicesmapped toNIST SP 800-171requirements specific toAccess Control (AC), Physical Protection (PE), and Identification and Authentication (IA).
CMMC Assessment Guide, Level 1confirms thatRisk Management (RM) and Media Protection (MP) are not included in Level 1, as they pertain to more advanced security measures needed for handlingCUI (Level 2).
Breakdown of Answer Choices
A. Access Control (AC), Risk Management (RM), and Media Protection (MP)→ Incorrect.Risk Management (RM) and Media Protection (MP) are Level 2 domains.
B. Risk Management (RM), Access Control (AC), and Physical Protection (PE)→ Incorrect.Risk Management (RM) is not part of Level 1.
C. Access Control (AC), Physical Protection (PE), and Identification and Authentication (IA)→Correct.These are thethree domains covered in CMMC Level 1 self-assessments.
D. Risk Management (RM), Media Protection (MP), and Identification and Authentication (IA)→ Incorrect.Risk Management (RM) and Media Protection (MP) are Level 2 domains.
Conclusion
Thecorrect answer is C. Access Control (AC), Physical Protection (PE), and Identification and Authentication (IA), as these are theonly three domains included in a CMMC Level 1 Self-Assessmentaccording toCMMC 2.0 documentation and NIST SP 800-171 mapping.
Reference Documents for Further Reading
CMMC 2.0 Model Overview – DoD Official Documentation
CMMC Assessment Guide, Level 1
NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2 (Basic Security Requirements for FCI)
