All Episodes
Displaying 41 - 60 of 71 in total
Episode 40 — Integrate Penetration Test Elements
Penetration testing validates that preventive and detective controls resist realistic attack chains, so its elements must be woven into the broader assessment rather t...
Episode 41 — Coordinate Seamlessly With the 3PAO
Working efficiently with a Third-Party Assessment Organization (3PAO) is essential to a smooth FedRAMP authorization. This episode explains the relationship between th...
Episode 42 — Produce a Clear SAR
The Security Assessment Report (SAR) is the definitive record of assessment results, mapping tested controls to findings and risk decisions. This episode details how t...
Episode 43 — Triage and Rate Assessment Findings
After the assessment, findings must be analyzed, categorized, and prioritized for remediation. This episode outlines FedRAMP’s required severity levels—High, Moderate,...
Episode 44 — Populate the POA&M Accurately
The Plan of Actions and Milestones (POA&M) is the authoritative tracking document for all unresolved risks and corrective actions. This episode explains its structure—...
Episode 45 — Close POA&M Items Effectively
Closing POA&M items confirms that risks have been mitigated or accepted through proper review. This episode outlines how to validate corrective actions, collect closur...
Episode 46 — Manage Deviation Requests and Exceptions
Deviation Requests and exceptions are the formal mechanisms FedRAMP uses to handle situations where a weakness cannot be remediated on the normal timeline, where an al...
Episode 47 — Package Parseable Scan Artifacts
Scan artifacts are only useful if reviewers can trace what was scanned, when, with which policies, and how the results map to inventory. This episode explains how to p...
Episode 48 — Understand ATO Letters and Conditions
Authorization to Operate (ATO) letters are formal risk decisions issued by an agency or, in the JAB context, paired with a Provisional ATO (P-ATO); they acknowledge re...
Episode 49 — Submit for PMO Review
A successful FedRAMP PMO submission depends on completeness, internal consistency, and reviewer-friendly organization of the entire package. This episode details how t...
Episode 50 — Quick Recap: Assessment to Authorization
This recap ties together the path from planning to authorization, highlighting the artifacts and decisions that carry the most weight. We revisit building a testable S...
Episode 51 — Stand Up Continuous Monitoring
Continuous Monitoring (ConMon) is the operational backbone that sustains a FedRAMP authorization after the initial ATO is granted. This episode explains its purpose: m...
Episode 52 — Manage Monthly Vulnerability Scans
Monthly vulnerability scanning provides the quantitative heartbeat of continuous monitoring, revealing whether systems remain patched, configured securely, and within ...
Episode 53 — Analyze and Report Scan Results
Scanning only provides raw data; analysis transforms it into actionable insight. This episode outlines how to interpret vulnerability results, identify trends, and com...
Episode 54 — Configure Authenticated Scanning Safely
Authenticated scanning provides deeper assurance by testing systems from an insider perspective, confirming patch levels, configuration states, and control operations....
Episode 55 — Run Required Penetration Vectors
FedRAMP mandates annual penetration testing across specific vectors to validate defensive effectiveness and identify exploitable weaknesses before adversaries can. Thi...
Episode 56 — Deliver Penetration Test Reports
Penetration test reports are the tangible outcome of controlled attack simulations, and FedRAMP requires them to be comprehensive, reproducible, and linked to subseque...
Episode 57 — Process Significant Changes Safely
Significant changes—major system modifications, infrastructure migrations, or service integrations—must be managed and reported under FedRAMP continuous monitoring. Th...
Episode 58 — Execute Annual Assessment Requirements
Annual assessments revalidate system controls to ensure they still meet FedRAMP baseline requirements under live operational conditions. This episode outlines how to p...
Episode 59 — Harden Logging and SIEM Practices
Logging and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) form the detection layer that validates continuous monitoring effectiveness. This episode describes how Fe...