As 2021 draws to a close, we wanted to share a recap of some of the most important cybersecurity developments we covered this past year along with some suggestions on what companies (particularly those that do business with...more
As 2021 draws to a close, we wanted to share a recap of some of the most important cybersecurity developments we covered this past year along with some suggestions on what companies (particularly those that do business with...more
As 2021 draws to a close, we wanted to share a recap of some of the most important cybersecurity developments we covered this past year along with some suggestions on what companies (particularly those that do business with...more
12/20/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Internet of Things ,
Popular ,
Software Developers ,
Supply Chain
Federal contractors and subcontractors across the country were forced to rethink their COVID-safety efforts when, on December 7, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia enjoined enforcement of Executive...more
12/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
Injunctions ,
Masks ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
OSHA ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Stays ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing
On September 9, 2021, the President issued Executive Order 14042, which applies new rules – including vaccination mandates – to Federal contractors and subcontractors. EO 14042 does not include a weekly testing option and is...more
11/17/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
OSHA ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The Department of Defense (DOD) recently announced several changes to its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. The program applies to those who serve as contractors and suppliers to the DOD. As described in our...more
On November 4, 2021, the Department of Defense (“DOD”) announced several changes to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) program – the program that DOD intends to use to enhance the security of the defense...more
On Wednesday, October 6, 2021, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a new Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative to enforce cybersecurity standards and reporting requirements. The Initiative will use DOJ’s civil enforcement...more
10/29/2021
/ Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Fraud ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Reporting Requirements
On September 9, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) to implement COVID safety protocols for Federal service contractors and subcontractors. While the EO did not outline specific rules, it did direct a Federal...more
10/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employees ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Employees ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 9, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order (EO) to implement COVID safety protocols for Federal service contractors. While the EO did not identify specific safety protocols, it did direct a Federal task...more
9/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
OSHA ,
Prime Contractor ,
Subcontractors ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
As called for in the May 12, 2021 Cybersecurity Executive Order (“EO”) released by the Biden Administration (discussed here), NIST met its deadline to release a definition of “critical software” within 45 days of the date of...more
In February 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14017, “Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains” (discussed here), requiring (among other things) a report within 100-days requiring key government agencies to...more
6/30/2021
/ Batteries ,
CFIUS ,
Child Labor ,
China ,
Defense Production Act ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Executive Orders ,
Forced Labor ,
Geopolitical Risks ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Human Rights ,
Joe Biden ,
Manufacturers ,
NDAA ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Russia ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain
On May 12, 2021, the Biden Administration issued its much anticipated “Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.” Below are provisions we believe will be of most interest to contractors, as well as any company...more
5/19/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
DFARS ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Information Technology ,
Internet of Things ,
NIST ,
OMB ,
Popular ,
Software ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology
On February 24, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14017, “Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains,” requiring a review of global supply chains that support key U.S. industries in an attempt to improve supply...more
4/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Supply Chain
On December 21, 2020, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) published a final rule in the Federal Register that codifies the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (“NISPOM”) in the Code of Federal Regulations...more
On January 1, 2021, Congress overrode President Trump’s veto of the Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) (the “Act”), Pub. L. No. 116-283. The $740 billion defense bill establishes funding...more
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently published an interim rule that sets forth its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program plan, as well as new requirements for a “NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment...more
At long last, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) has provided its interim rule, published in the Federal Register on September 29, 2020, amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (“DFARS”) to set forth...more
On September 10, 2020, the General Services Administration (“GSA”) hosted a webinar related to its implementation of Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA – the ban relating to certain Chinese telecom companies – and associated...more
On July 14, 2020 the Department of Defense (“DoD”), General Services Administration (“GSA”), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) published an Interim Rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation...more
7/15/2020
/ China ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Interim Rule ,
NASA ,
NDAA ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications
A lot has happened since the Department of Defense (“DOD”) released its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) v. 1.0 back in February (see our prior discussion here). In addition to developments with the CMMC...more
On Thursday April 16, Sheppard Mullin submitted comments to the Federal Reserve about its terms sheets for the $600 Billion Main Street Loan Program. These comments raise and explore numerous important questions that the Fed...more
As companies continue to review the CARES Act to determine what assistance may be available to them, we have prepared a user-friendly checklist to assist them in getting a quick sense of what works for them...
...more