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
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) recently settled a qui tam suit with defense contractor Raytheon and its successor company, Nightwing Intelligence Solutions, LLC (Nightwing), totaling $8.4 million. The...more
Government contractors regularly handle sensitive federal data, and cybersecurity compliance is no longer optional—it’s mandatory. A recent settlement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and defense contractor Raytheon...more
Cyber-attacks against America’s defense industrial base are becoming more sophisticated and more frequent. To reduce the risk of sensitive national security information landing in the hands of bad actors, the Department of...more
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently issued a memorandum signaling that defense contractors soon will be required to comply with new cybersecurity compliance requirements. The memorandum establishes...more
On March 26, 2025, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had reached an agreement with MORSECORP Inc. (MORSE) to settle alleged violations of the False Claims Act (FCA), specifically regarding...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
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently reached a $4.6 million civil False Claims Act (FCA) settlement with MORSECORP, Inc. (MORSE) arising out of allegations that the company failed to comply with Department of Defense...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
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently issued a memo titled, "Implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program: Guidance for Determining Appropriate CMMC Compliance Assessment Levels and Process...more
The recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA or Act) for Fiscal Year 2025 addresses recurring areas of focus relevant to defense contracting, including supply chain risks related to China, organizational...more
The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Council issued its long awaited proposed rule on Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) on January 15, 2025. The proposed rule establishes a common form to be used by all federal...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
Over the last two decades, federal contractors have been frustrated by the Government’s hodgepodge approach to regulating Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). Various agencies have implemented differing definitions,...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
Last year we made some predictions about 2024’s cyber landscape and major issues. Several proved prescient, with incident reporting, CISO scrutiny, SEC aggression, and new regulation of various sectors taking shape as the...more
On November 15, 2024, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) issued a long-awaited Proposed Rule to implement Section 1655 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. Section 1655 prohibits DoD from...more
On October 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) published a Final Rule implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 Program....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
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
Part of the Biden Administration’s push to enhance U.S. cybersecurity capabilities has focused on imposing new requirements on government contractors. The 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy suggested, for example, that...more
The US Department of Defense (DOD) finalized a rule that takes the next steps toward fully implementing the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0 program. This rule formalizes compliance requirements that will...more
The Department of Defense (DoD) has officially launched the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program, which requires federal contractors and subcontractors across the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to comply...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
After years in the making, on October 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) published its final rule to establish the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program, amending Title 32 of the Code of...more