CyberSheath Opens Registration for CMMC CON 2026 as Phase 2 Deadline and Assessor Shortage Bear Down on Defense Contractors

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program’s phased rollout reaches a critical milestone on Nov. 10, 2026, when Phase 2 makes third-party assessments mandatory for most defense contracts. However, there are only 103 authorized C3PAOs that serve the roughly 80,000 organizations that need Level 2 certification.

Against that backdrop, CyberSheath has opened registration for CMMC CON 2026, the longest-running CMMC event and now in its seventh year. The two-day virtual conference will be held Sept. 23-24, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT, and is free for all attendees.

This year’s theme, “Protecting the Mission: Confidence through CMMC Certification,” focuses on helping contractors move from preparation to verified compliance before the Phase 2 window closes. Sessions will cover scoping, assessment readiness, long-term compliance management, and the enforcement environment — practical guidance for organizations that need to act now, not after a solicitation forces the issue.

“The C3PAO pipeline is already backed up, and every week a contractor waits pushes them closer to potentially missing the November deadline,” said Emil Sayegh, CEO of CyberSheath. “There’s a lot of planning and execution required for compliance, which is why we continue to offer free programming and guidance through CMMC CON. It has already helped thousands of contractors over the first six years, and we want to help even more find the right direction.”

CMMC CON 2026 will feature voices from Microsoft, C3PAOs A-LIGN and Cybersec Investments, and law firms like Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. This year’s full speaker lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.

Past CMMC CON keynotes have included Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security; Nicole Perlroth, cybersecurity journalist and author; Robert J. O’Neill, former Navy SEAL Team Six leader; Brian Krebs, investigative journalist; Bailey Bickley, Chief of DIB Defense at the NSA; and Dr. Ron Ross, Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Watch sessions from CMMC CON 2025 on CyberSheath’s YouTube page.

The event remains free because every contractor deserves access to the information needed to protect both their business and national security. Registrants will also be eligible to win prizes for their trivia knowledge, receive a complimentary eBook with the latest research on contractors’ cybersecurity posture, and witness a black belt ceremony for those who complete CyberSheath’s multi-part cybersecurity compliance ninja training course.

Learn more about CMMC CON 2026 and register now.

About CyberSheath
Established in 2012, CyberSheath is one of the most experienced and trusted IT security services partners for the U.S. defense industrial base. From CMMC compliance to strategic security planning to managed security services, CyberSheath offers a comprehensive suite of offerings tailored to clients’ information security and regulatory compliance needs. Learn more at cybersheath.com.