The Department of Defense (DoD), also referred to as the Department of War (DoW), has rolled out the Cybersecurity Risk Management Construct (CSRMC), replacing the old-school Risk Management Framework (RMF). This is a big deal: it’s not just a paperwork shuffle; it’s a shift to deliver real-time cyber defense at operational speed.
The War Department is making it clear that the era of static, annual check-the-box compliance is over. Now, the focus is on continuous, evidence-driven security that can actually keep up with adversaries—because, let’s be honest, the threat landscape changes every day, and attackers don’t wait for the quarterly report to drop.
So, where does Horizon3.ai, specifically NodeZero® Offensive Security Platform, fit into all this? Here’s the straight talk.
Why CSRMC and Why Now?
The legacy RMF was built for a world where you could get by with annual risk assessments, static scans, and hoping your last pentest was enough to satisfy the auditors. That approach is outdated and can’t scale with the dynamic nature of enterprise today and its rate of change. Cyber threats move at machine speed, and with AI-enabled adversaries, annual just means already out of date. The DoW is shifting to CSRMC because missions hinge on resilience, and you can’t afford to run blind or get stuck in paperwork loops when a real attacker is already in your environment. The CSRMC provides a strategy to better understand the true risk to the cyber mission.
The 5 Phase Approach to Design, Build, Test, Onboard, and Operate simplifies the driver and clearly calls out the loop back nature of a continuous model to both Assess and Remediate as speed.
Enter NodeZero: Autonomous Security Built for the Mission
NodeZero is purpose-built for this new world. It’s not just about finding vulnerabilities. It’s about continuously validating what an actual attacker can do in your environment, right now, with proof. Here’s how we support the DoW’s CSRMC transformation:
Real-Time, Autonomous Pentesting
NodeZero runs continuous, production-safe pentests: internal, external, cloud, and Kubernetes. It’s not a snapshot, it’s ongoing, so you always know your real attack surface.
Unlike reactive security tools, we take a proactive approach. NodeZero exploits the same offensive paths an adversary would use based on real network exposure, giving you a clear view of what can be compromised right now. That insight accelerates the find, fix, verify cycle and keeps the assessment and remediation loop moving at the speed the mission demands.
We don’t just scan for potential issues. NodeZero chains together misconfigs, weak creds, and policy gaps to show you what’s truly exploitable, and the downstream mission impact if you don’t fix it.
Find, Fix, Verify At Scale
The model of Find isn’t enough. NodeZero prioritize fix actions means you know what matters most, and after you remediate, you can re-test with 1-click to prove it worked.
This closes the loop on the #1 problem in most orgs: knowing when you’re actually secure and not just done with the scan.
Reduced Mean Time to Remediation (MTTR)
The DoW’s new construct is all about shrinking the window between finding and fixing. NodeZero delivers prioritized, actionable guidance and lets you bulk-verify fixes. That means less time in limbo and less risk exposure.
You get audit-ready reporting that’s mapped to federal frameworks, making life easier for compliance teams and security teams.
Aligned with Mission Outcomes
NodeZero is designed to surface attack paths that lead to real business and mission impacts (domain compromise, ransomware exposure, data loss) not just a laundry list of technical findings.
This is critical for risk-to-mission conversations. When you brief leadership, you’re not just listing vulnerabilities, you’re showing, with proof, how you’re reducing risk to the mission in language that makes sense to the operators.
Built for the Federal Ecosystem
NodeZero Federal™ is FedRAMP® High Authorized, operationally proven through the NSA’s Continuous Autonomous Penetration Testing (CAPT) program. We’re already helping hundreds of DIB suppliers and federal agencies move from compliance to confidence, with metrics that show thousands of critical weaknesses remediated, millions of endpoints tested, and huge cost avoidance compared to manual testing.
We support multiple frameworks: CMMC, NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, DFARS, Zero Trust, and yes, readiness models to include CORA.
Force Multiplier for Lean Teams
Let’s be honest: most DoD teams are stretched thin and can’t hire their way out of the backlog. NodeZero automates the heavy lifting, letting you scale security validation without scaling your headcount.
It’s also designed to integrate with your workflows (ServiceNow, Jira, SIEMs) for true continuous risk management.
Why This Matters for DoW Leaders, Operators, and Auditors
The bottom line: Horizon3.ai and NodeZero are directly enabling the DoW’s shift to CSRMC by making continuous, adversary-driven risk validation the norm. It’s about moving faster than the adversary, reducing manual burden, and making compliance a natural outcome of practical security.
That means operationalizing security penetration testing in live environments, not just ticking boxes in a static framework. Our approach is already being used to support mission assurance, supply chain security, and operational resilience at scale.
Ready for the Next Step?
If you’re part of a cyber team looking to meet CSRMC objectives, modernize your risk management, and operationalize security with real impact, let’s talk. NodeZero isn’t just a tool, it’s a new way to prove, continuously, that your systems are ready for the mission. Because in this threat landscape, assumed security is a non-starter. You need proof, you need it now, and you need it at scale. That’s what Horizon3.ai delivers.
Learn More About Horizon3.ai and NodeZero Federal.