Podcast - Navigating the Updated SF-328 Form
Podcast - A Comparative Guide to Obtaining an FCL: DCSA vs. the Intelligence Community
Diversifying Your Contract Pipeline by Maximizing Opportunities through the DOD’s Mentor Protégé Program
A Comprehensive Overview of FOCI Mitigation
Podcast - Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector, Part 2
Mitigating FOCI Under Section 847
Episode 345 -- Raytheon Pays $950 Million to Resolve Fraud, FCPA, ITAR and False Claims Act Violations
Everyone Come to Play: Exploring FOCI Mitigation Instruments
Defense Dynamics: Navigating the Post-Election Landscape for the National Security Sector
Podcast - Navigating M&A Due Diligence: Safeguarding Security Clearances
Podcast - Change Condition Packages: Tips for Cleared Contractors
Podcast - Corporate Documents in the Context of Clearances
Navigating Personnel Security Clearances (PCLs)
Cybersecurity Insights: Updates on CMMC Implementation and CUI Identification
What Is an FCL and How Do I Obtain One?
Protecting Our Nation’s Data: Cybersecurity Compliance for Government Contractors
Intellectual Property In Department of Defense Contracting
The When, Where, Why and How of CMMC with Fernando Machado
Podcast - The State of Contractor Cybersecurity with Katie Arrington
For contractors within the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), the time to ensure compliance with the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program (CMMC) 2.0 is now. DOD formally sent the final...more
Government contractors should be on high alert following the recent announcement that Raytheon Company, its parent RTX Corporation, and Nightwing Group, LLC, have agreed to pay $8.4 million to resolve allegations of violating...more
The Department of Defense (DoD) is revving its engines again—this time to rocket past its own software acquisition drag. Launched via an April 24 memo from Acting DoD CIO Katie Arrington, the DoD’s Software Fast Track (SWFT)...more
On April 15, 2025, the Department of Defense (DoD) released official guidance on Organizationally Defined Parameters (ODPs) appearing in the newly published NIST SP 800-171 Revision 3. At the same time, the DoD reaffirmed...more
As the regulatory environment continues to evolve in the new administration, U.S. government contractors are facing an increasingly complex array of legal challenges. Staying compliant and competitive requires close attention...more
A recent United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement reinforces that enforcement of cybersecurity requirements under the False Claims Act (FCA) remains an ongoing risk. According to the press release, defense...more
As drones become increasingly integrated into recreational and professional activities, their presence in U.S. airspace has grown exponentially. These unmanned aerial systems (UAS) bring unparalleled opportunities,...more
Although the change in administrations has heralded shifting enforcement priorities at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), cybersecurity enforcement under the False Claims Act (FCA) appears to be alive and well. That is the...more
On January 15, 2025, the FAR Council finally released a proposed rule (the Rule)1 regulating the use and handling of controlled unclassified information (CUI) as a part of the general strategy to reduce threats of...more
2024 was another active year in cybersecurity, with high-profile vulnerabilities and data breaches, and government and private sector responses to them. Examples include pervasive ransomware attacks targeting the healthcare,...more
In 2024, as in years past, healthcare fraud enforcement by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was substantial. Federal actions under the False Claims Act (FCA) alone resulted in $1.67 billion in settlements and judgments...more
On January 15, 2025, the Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (collectively, “the FAR Council”) issued a long-anticipated proposed...more
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025 NDAA), signed into law on December 23, 2024, has significant implications for defense acquisition and...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published its 2024 False Claims Act (FCA) statistics and press release this week touting $2.9 billion in judgments and settlements last fiscal year, slightly higher than 2023’s $2.7...more
After years of anticipation, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council has announced the arrival of its proposed rule to enhance the safeguarding of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in federal contracts (the...more
To kick off the New Year (and as is now tradition, since we put out a similar Recap & Forecast last year), Sheppard Mullin’s Governmental Practice Cybersecurity & Data Protection Team has prepared a cybersecurity-focused 2024...more
Note to research compliance officials still digesting news of Pennsylvania State’s recent $1.25 million settlement over False Claims Act (FCA) allegations related to cybersecurity and the government’s recent intervention in a...more
The Department of Defense (DoD) published the updated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program to enforce existing cybersecurity standards across the defense industrial base. This program is designed to...more
On October 15, 2024, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) released its final rule (the “Final Rule”) formally establishing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) program, nearly three years after first...more
On October 15, 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD) published the final rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program that not only finalizes the long-anticipated CMMC Rule but also foreshadows what...more
Change Healthcare Inc. has amended its initial breach report to the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to state that 100 million individuals were impacted by its mammoth ransomware attack and breach. However, as of Oct. 24,...more
After numerous fits and starts, on October 14, the Department of Defense (DoD) published a final rule implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. Borne from documented deficiencies in the...more
In recent years, the U.S. Department of Justice has ramped up its examination of cybersecurity compliance among federal contractors, with a particular focus on academic institutions....more
The CMMC program is designed to ensure that federal contract information (“FCI”) and Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”) are sufficiently protected by government contractors. For example, the CMMC program requires...more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) secured another win for its Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative last week when it resolved a False Claims Act (FCA) action[1] alleging Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) failed to comply with...more