DSPM As the Data Intelligence Backbone of M-22-09 Compliance

M-22-09 is an official mandate from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directing federal agencies to adopt a Zero Trust cybersecurity approach—meaning they must assume potential breaches at all times and tightly control access to sensitive data. Under the Zero Trust “Data” pillar, organizations must identify, classify, and protect sensitive data by limiting who can access it, encrypting it both at rest and in transit, and continuously monitoring for suspicious activity. This ensures compliance with M-22-09 by securing data as the core asset cyber adversaries aim to exploit.

Federal agencies often grapple with achieving M-22-09 compliance because of the sheer volume of sensitive data scattered across an array of decentralized systems that lack the necessary sharing of critical data insights. This highly federated environment magnifies complexity around key data security foundations such as data discovery, classification, and continuous monitoring. For example, departments commonly use a mix of on-premises databases, cloud services, and legacy applications, making it challenging to apply consistent access controls and visibility without the proper tools. Consequently, silos and inconsistent security policies create data blind spots, weakening the agencies’ ability to implement modern Zero Trust principles.

Shifting the Zero Trust Paradigm to Data

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has reshaped the Zero Trust paradigm by emphasizing data as the foundation rather than merely a pillar. With the introduction of the Zero Trust Maturity Model, Version 2.0, this shift reflects the reality that data is at the core of cybersecurity. Each of the remaining pillars—Identity, Devices, Networks, Applications, and Visibility/Analytics—relies on the context that data intelligence provides.

Data security posture management (DSPM) is the critical backbone for organizations who aim to comply with OMB M-22-09 directives and implement Zero Trust principles quickly, and effectively.

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The Role of Data in Zero Trust

At its core, Zero Trust assumes a breach is inevitable and focuses on limiting the impact of breaches. Data security stands at the heart of this approach because data is the ultimate target of malicious actors. Whether it's personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), payment card information (PCI), intellectual property, or other critical assets, safeguarding data must be a top priority.

In Zero Trust, the principle of "trust nothing, verify everything" applies not only to users and devices but also to data activity. Data intelligence becomes a cornerstone for detecting, preventing, and mitigating breaches.

Key Steps for Data-Centric Zero Trust Implementation

1. Identify and locate data assets to understand the entirety of an agency’s sensitive data landscape.
2. Categorize the data assets so the appropriate security controls can be applied.
3. Label the data sources and associated metadata to support automated protection
4. Leverage the data to allow proper enforcement of each of the Zero Trust Pillars
5. Monitor and analyze data activity by tracking who, or what, is accessing sensitive data, how it is being used, and whether any anomalous activity is indicative of a potential breach.

Data Intelligence Across Zero Trust Pillars

DSPM is not only vital for the Data pillar but also enhances the other pillars of Zero Trust. Let’s explore how we at Cyera accomplish this with our DSPM solution. 

Identity

Challenge: Verifying user identity and access privileges.

Cyera’s Role: Aligns user access with data sensitivity, ensuring that identities are authenticated before granting access to critical data.

Devices

Challenge: Securing devices accessing organizational resources.

Cyera’s Role: Ensures authorized devices can interact with sensitive data, reducing the risk of unauthorized access from compromised endpoints.

Networks

Challenge: Securing data as it moves across networks.

Cyera’s Role: Informs data in motion tools such as DLP or microsegmentation tools of data sensitivity to increase effectiveness

Applications

Challenge: Preventing unauthorized application access to sensitive data.

Cyera’s Role: Maps application-data interactions, identifying potential misconfigurations or excessive permissions that could expose data.

Visibility and Analytics

Challenge: Achieving comprehensive insight into security posture.

Cyera’s Role: Provides detailed analytics on data usage, sensitivity, and access patterns, helping organizations respond to threats and ensure compliance.

M-22-09 Compliance

OMB M-22-09 mandates that federal agencies adopt Zero Trust principles, with a focus on securing the nation’s critical data assets. Cyera enables compliance by providing the data intelligence necessary to:

• Understand and classify sensitive data.
• Detect and respond to threats in real time.
• Automate compliance reporting and ensure alignment with federal mandates.

By placing DSPM at the core of their Zero Trust strategies, organizations can transform their cybersecurity approach from reactive to proactive, ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of their most valuable asset—data.CISA’s updated Zero Trust framework underscores that data is the backbone of effective cybersecurity. DSPM not only fortifies the Data pillar but also empowers the Identity, Devices, Networks, Applications, and Visibility/Analytics pillars, creating a unified and resilient security posture. As organizations strive to meet M-22-09 compliance, embracing DSPM as a foundation for Zero Trust is not just advisable—it’s essential.