As organizations move toward Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), they must prove they can identify, analyze, and respond to cyber threats. Whether preparing for Level 2 or aiming for Level 3, the ability to investigate advanced attacks with confidence is no longer optional but essential.

CMMC Level 2 introduces practices that go beyond basic hygiene, while Level 3 raises the bar further, requiring operational resilience and defenses against advanced persistent threats. Across both levels, VMRay’s malware sandboxing platform provides the visibility, documentation, and threat-informed analysis needed to prove compliance and strengthen real-world defenses.

Malware Sandboxing: A Foundation for Modern Compliance

A malware sandbox creates a controlled environment to safely analyze suspicious files and URLs. This is critical for exposing how threats behave, particularly polymorphic or evasive malware.

VMRay takes sandboxing a step further with hypervisor-based monitoring. By observing activity from outside the operating system, VMRay remains invisible to even the most evasive samples. The result is deep behavioral insight without alerting the malware, giving organizations a decisive edge as they work toward both Level 2 and Level 3 certification.

Supporting CMMC Level 2: Building Strong Security Foundations

Level 2, aligned with NIST SP 800-171, asks organizations to demonstrate advanced detection and response capabilities. With VMRay, teams can spot threats that slip past traditional defenses, generate detailed behavioral intelligence, and safely examine files in isolated environments.

These capabilities support domains such as System and Information Integrity, Incident Response, and System and Communications Protection. They also ensure that evidence for audits is readily available through automated documentation, reducing the burden on compliance teams.

Advancing to Level 3: Defending Against Persistent Threats

Level 3 introduces selected requirements from NIST SP 800-172 and expects organizations to counter adversary-level tactics. VMRay provides critical capabilities that map directly to these controls.

Threat-informed risk assessments (RA.L3-3.11.1e) are strengthened by VMRay’s ability to analyze how real-world malware operates, giving teams insights that go far beyond hypothetical models. For threat hunting (RA.L3-3.11.2e), behavioral telemetry and MITRE ATT&CK mappings make it possible to proactively search for signs of sophisticated activity across the enterprise.

VMRay also enhances intrusion detection (SI.L3-3.14.6e) by catching stealthy, fileless, or zero-day threats that would otherwise slip past traditional tools. Incident response readiness (IR.L3-3.6.2e) is reinforced by the platform’s integrations with SIEM, SOAR, and EDR workflows, ensuring that teams can quickly investigate and respond within the required 24-hour deployment window.

Finally, advanced threat awareness (AT.L3-3.2.1e) is supported through phishing analysis. Suspicious emails and attachments can be sent directly to dedicated IR mailboxes, giving staff actionable insights for awareness programs. VMRay also supports SC.L3-3.13.4e by running securely within segmented or air-gapped networks, enabling isolation of systems processing Controlled Unclassified Information.

Together, these capabilities move organizations from a reactive posture to proactive, intelligence driven defense.

Documentation and Audit Readiness

Both Level 2 and Level 3 demand not just security action, but clear evidence. VMRay automatically generates reports that capture file behavior, registry and network activity, execution timelines, and mapped TTPs. These reports are auditor-ready while also giving security teams actionable intelligence for day-to-day defense.

By aligning findings with frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK and NIST SP 800-172, VMRay ensures compliance documentation becomes more than a checkbox exercise — it becomes a source of operational insight.

From Compliance to Confidence

CMMC isn’t just about passing an audit. It’s about proving resilience against today’s most advanced threats. VMRay enables organizations to detect and analyze evasive malware that other tools miss, align directly with Level 2 and 3 control requirements, empower incident response teams with actionable intelligence, and document findings with precision.

With VMRay, you move beyond compliance to real confidence. You not only meet the standards but also strengthen your ability to outpace today’s adversaries.

Ready to see how VMRay supports your CMMC strategy? Request a demo and explore how advanced malware sandboxing can accelerate your path to Level 2 and Level 3 certification.