DBITDefenseCMMC Level 2 · Readiness
Regulation · DFARS · May 2, 2026

DFARS 252.204-7012: history and current applicability.

DFARS 252.204-7012 — "Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting" — has been in DoD contracts since 2015 and remains the underlying authority for CUI-handling obligations.

Published May 2, 2026South Florida · Palm Beach · Broward · Miami-Dade
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Tag
Regulation
Citations
4
Type
Plain summary
Original
no control interpretation
No. 01

Summary and dates.

Origin

Aug 2015
Interim DFARS clause issued requiring contractors to safeguard covered defense information and report cyber incidents.
Federal Register / Acquisition.gov
Oct 2016
Final rule effective; broad applicability across DoD prime and sub contracts handling covered defense information.
Federal Register / Acquisition.gov
Dec 2017
Compliance deadline for the underlying NIST SP 800-171 safeguarding requirements referenced in the clause.
DoD CIO

Why it still matters under CMMC

DFARS 252.204-7012 is the contract clause that obligates safeguarding of covered defense information (a subset of CUI) and incident reporting. CMMC is the verification mechanism that DoD applies on top of that clause. The two are complementary, not substitutes.

Companion DFARS clauses

DFARS 252.204-7019 (NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Requirements) and DFARS 252.204-7020 (related notice provisions) work alongside -7012 to require contractors to post Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) scores under specified conditions.

No. 02

Sources and citations.

Primary references

DBIT Defense does not interpret control intent or republish substantive control text. All claims above link to primary sources for verification.

No. 03

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