What is Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) And Why You Should Care

Understanding CUI: Compliance Tips for Defense Contractors

Hey everybody, Today, we’re talking about the big question: What is Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)? This topic is crucial in the context of DFARS, NIST SP 800-171, and CMMC compliance.

Understanding the Challenges

If you’re a defense contractor feeling overwhelmed, tired, and alone trying to understand DFARS, NIST SP 800-171, and CMMC compliance on top of an already colossal workload, you’re not alone. Many feel like they’re drowning in hundreds of pages of confusing legalese and hard-to-understand technical jargon. If you need help showing your company’s leaders how becoming compliant with regulations can help the company grow and make more money, you’ve come to the right place. At On-Call Compliance Solutions, we help transform you into your company’s compliance hero.

What is CUI?

Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is information created or disseminated as part of doing work for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) or other associated government or aerospace business. It’s considered sensitive, and access must be controlled by law. CUI is not top secret, classified, or any other high-level secretive information. There’s no specific clearance required to view it, and those outside the government determine who is an authorized user.

Categories of CUI

There are many categories of CUI. The CUI Registry lists various types of information, from nuclear-related information to personally identifiable information (PII) found in payroll systems. Basically, everyone has some form of CUI in their network, especially if involved in defense work. If it weren’t for the defense context, it would be just any other business data.

Specific Examples and Handling

CUI includes, but is not limited to:

• Nuclear Information and ITAR-Restricted Information: These require very specific handling instructions.
• Business Proprietary Information: Pertains specifically to defense work, making it CUI.
• Physical Media: CUI can also be on CDs, DVDs, whiteboards, and shipping labels.

Practical Implications

Understanding what constitutes CUI depends on your company and the specific information you handle. For example:

• PII for DOD Contracts: Only PII for employees hired exclusively for DOD contracts is considered CUI.
• General Business Data: If the information empowers you to progress on defense contracts, it may be CUI.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this clarifies what CUI is. For more specific questions, our team is always available to get hands-on with you and dive deeper into the subject. At On-Call Compliance Solutions, we make defense contractors laugh, create awesome videos, and help transform them into compliance heroes.

Call to Action

If DFARS, NIST, CMMC, or ITAR compliance has been dropped in your lap, we can help you level up and become a proper compliance hero for your company. This can eliminate gaps, clear gray areas, and leverage compliance as a secret weapon to land more defense work with higher profit margins.

For more information, visit ihatecbts.us. There, you can find more information about how we can help and self-schedule time with one of our compliance experts.

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