Latest News & Opinion on the ISO Certification Scheme
ISO 9001 Ignores the Design of Processes – Here’s How To Do It Anyway
ISO 9001 is silent on the design of processes and formal process change management, but implementing them can ensure proper overall process management.
OP-ED: Cybersecurity Consultants Need to Learn from ISO History, Not Repeat Same Mistakes
CMMC and other industry consultants are making their case based on threats and fear; quality management consultants tried that for decades, and were rejected.
Akkreditierung Austria Makes False Claims to Justify Shutting Down Allegation It Is Violating EU Sanctions
The Austrian accreditation body and its partner Quality Austria continue to promote and issue certificates to Rostec, a company under US and EU sanctions for its role in the forced annexation of Crimea.
CMMC Candidate C3PAO Embroiled in Money Laundering, Bribery Scheme
Cask Government Services has been identified as one of the unnamed companies at the heart of a criminal probe into fraud, bribery and money laundering.
ASQ Claimed over $7.3 Million in Unrelated Business Income, But Filed for $29,000 Refund
ASQ included “marketing expenses” and other indirect expenses in its calculations of Cost of Goods Sold, allowing it to avoid paying taxes, and request a $29,000 refund.
BREAKING: Katie Arrington Threatens “Litigation” Against Oxebridge via Attorney on Twitter
Arrington’s lawyer used Twitter to falsely claim Oxebridge said she was “fired” even as he accused Oxebridge of false reporting.
DAkkS Closes Complaint Alleging Saudi Corruption, While Admitting Issue Is Still Open
A DAkkS official closed a complaint against TUV NORD Middle East, despite admitting it conducted no actual investigation, relying instead solely on the word of TUV NORD.
Regan Edens Exits CMMC-AB After Public Attack Against Industry Advisory Council Member
Edens resigned after publicly calling an IAC member a “troll” and suggesting his only knowledge of defense was from the video game Call of Duty.
ISO 9001 Future Concepts Document Contains Plagiarized Content, Drops “Climate Change”
The authors of TC 176’s Future Concepts document plagiarized large portions of content from online sources, including CourseHero, then failed to provide any attribution.
2019 Tax Returns Show ASQ Lost Money, But Increased Exec Bonuses
ASQ leaders continued to heap bonuses on themselves as the organization lost over $2.3M in 2019.
First Wave of CMMC C3PAO Price Proposals Reveal $150,000 – $300,000 Cost Per Assessment
A review of three recent price proposals for CMMC assessments shows the DOD underestimated costs by an order of magnitude.
BREAKING: John Garstka Named As CISO OUSD A&S, Replacing Katie Arrington
John Garstka has replaced Katie Arrington at the US Dept. of Defense, in a current “acting” capacity.
Akkreditierung Austria Ignores Complaint on Violations of Russia Sanctions, Escalated to EA and APAC
Akkreditierung Austria has refused to even acknowledge a complaint alleging it is in violation of EU sanctions, forcing Oxebridge to escalate the matter to two IAF regional bodies.
“Ridiculous Bastardry”: After Minor Update, ISO Converts Previously Free Standard to $170 Paid Version
For decades, the ISO standard for the XML tool Schematron was free; a minor update jacked the price up to $175.
US DOE Figured Out How To Simultaneously Give Middle Finger to DOD and Bankrupt US Supply Chain
We’ve got multiple cybersecurity maturity model schemes, because we’re not destroying the Federal supply chain fast enough.
Turkish Couple in Switzerland Run Shameless ISO 9001 Certificate Mill
Skillfront certifies clients after writing their documentation, while using fake press releases and phony partnership claims to sell their unaccredited certificates.
IQNet Head Posts Pictures of Himself Cooking, Continues to Ignore Role in Humanitarian Abuse
Pedro Castro Alves wants you to know he can cube a watermelon, not that he supports crimes against humanity.
Source: Arrington’s Problems Due To Clearance Issues, May Return to DOD
Arrington’s return would come if any issues with her clearance were cured, but this is not guaranteed since she is the subject of multiple probes.
Guest Post: What is the IAF?
Guest post by Anilkumar Merakh discussing the basics and role of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).
IAS-Accredited Registrar Issued ISO Certifications to Clients of Spouse’s Consulting Firm
Standard Global Quality Certifications has been found issuing ISO 9001 certificates to clients of a consulting firm operated by the registrar’s spouse.
Rostec Ties Result in Reports to OFAC, IRS Against the International Accreditation Forum
Oxebridge has filed formal reports with OFAC and IRS alleging the IAF is supporting and generative revenue from Rostec, a firm under US sanctions for its role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Dealing Blow to IAF Mutual Recognition Agreements, Court Rules Only European ABs May Operate in EU
An EU high court has ruled that only EU accreditation bodies may operate in the region, effectively denying US, UK and other nations from operating accreditation services in Europe.
Complaint Filed Against Akkreditierung Austria, Quality Austria for Self-Certification, Ignoring EU Sanctions
Quality Austria certified its own regional representatives in Russia, then allowed them to certify other companies owned by their parent organization. That company, Rostec, is under US and EU sanctions.
Quality Austria Certified Its Own Russian Partner, a Firm Under US and EU Sanctions
Quality Austria certified its own Russian regional partner, a company under US and EU sanctions; the company then accredited itself to ISO 17011.
IAQG Is Now Running Ads for BSI, the Certification Body It’s Supposed to Be Overseeing
While ignoring formal complaints filed against BSI, the IAQG instead ran promotional pieces advertising the certification body, in violation of impartiality principles.
Official CMMC Course Offers “Guaranteed” Certification, Vendor is Admitted Plagiarist
A company that once admitted to plagiarizing cybersecurity materials is now offering an official CMMC course that “guarantees” its students will pass.
BREAKING: Katie Arrington Out At DOD
BREAKING: Multiple sources have reported to Oxebridge that Katie Arrington has been removed from DOD OUSD A&S, her clearance revoked and building access withdrawn. While this rumor has persisted for the last week, Oxebridge now has sufficient confirmation from...
CMMC-AB Does Not Hold Tax-Exempt Status in Maryland, CAGE Code Fraud Investigation Advances
The CMMC Accreditation Body faces increased legal and criminal risks related to false claims that they were tax-exempt in early 2020.
UKAS: Human Trafficking Good, Calling Us Out On It Bad
UKAS CEO Matt Gantley is not a snake-egg hatcher.
OP-ED: SecureStrux Defense of CMMC-AB Highlights the Real-World Fallout of Conflicts of Interest
The RPO’s public defense of the CMMC-AB against allegations of conflict of interest only injects more conflicts, and likely ensures eventual contract protests.
Looking Back at Some of Oxebridge’s Humor Graphics – Part VII
Another look at Oxebridge’s sometimes-hilarious editorial graphics.
Intertek to Buy SAI Global
An official press release from the ISO certification body Intertek announces that it will be buying competitor SAI Global Assurance.
Interview with Mark Stevens on ITAR Compliance
Mark Stevens of AEI talks to cybersecurity expert Leslie Weinstein on ITAR compliance.
New Annex SL Support Docs Provide Ironic Choices With Only One Possible Answer
The new Annex SL “Appendices” have some curious flowcharts in them.
NSFW: Even ISO’s Dildo Committee Rejected Its Latest Definition of “Risk”
Yes, they have a committee for that.
