Full Packet Capture as Strategic and Regulatory Imperative
Endace partnered with SANS to review a wide range of cybersecurity regulations around the globe. This report, by Matt Bromiley, Certified Instructor at SANS, examines at how always-on packet capture enables organizations to comply with these key regulations, while also providing an essential foundation of effective cyber defense.
The report also includes detailed “tear-sheets” which outline how always-on full packet capture enables compliance with the specific requirements of key regulations and frameworks including Zero Trust, NIST CSF, ISO 27-001, NIS2 Directive, Australian ISM and more.
This page provides the information specific to OMB M-21-31.
See the overview of the full research study here:
Enabling OMB M-21-31 Compliance for Federal Agencies
The US Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Memorandum M-21-31 mandates that all federal agencies implement comprehensive cybersecurity logging capabilities, including an explicit 72-hour full packet capture (FPC) requirement. Following the devastating SolarWinds supply chain compromise, M-21-31 establishes a four-tier event logging (EL) maturity model designed to standardize incident response (IR) capabilities across the federal government. Compliance isn’t optional; agencies that fail to meet M-21-31 requirements may face:
- Regulatory penalties and oversight actions
- Loss of operational authorization (ATO)
- Suspension of critical services
- Congressional scrutiny and public accountability
Federal CISOs, risk officers, and executive leadership should view M-21-31 as a strategic operational requirement. It ensures IR readiness, preserves forensic evidence integrity, and enables agencies to participate confidently in federal cybersecurity initiatives, threat sharing programs, and cross-agency coordination. However, this is not done in a vacuum. Federal cybersecurity teams face mounting pressure from:
- Advanced persistent threats targeting government infrastructure
- Complex multicloud and hybrid environments requiring unified visibility
- IR times measured in hours, not days, with constrained resources
Enterprise-grade FPC solutions directly address M-21-31’s core requirements while providing comprehensive network visibility. This allows organizations to detect and investigate threats faster while reducing operational complexity of multi-framework compliance requirements.
FPC doesn’t replace existing federal security tools: It enhances the landscape. By serving as a common evidence foundation across CISA tools, SIEM platforms, and threat sharing initiatives, FPC facilitates actionable intelligence and more accurate detection and response.
OMB M-21-31 Compliance Framework
The tearsheet below references EL maturity tiers, established by M-21-31 to show where and how FPC supports compliance in each domain. This helps federal agencies turn regulatory requirements into operational readiness and mission resilience.
Who is Endace?
Endace specializes in scalable, high-speed, high-performance packet capture. Our solutions are used by some of world’s biggest organizations on some of the fastest networks on the planet.
If you are looking for a packet capture solution, we’d love to show you why Endace is the best choice. Contact us to book a demo or ask a question.