Despite a change in administrations, the government’s vigilance and enforcement of cybersecurity requirements have not missed a beat. On March 14, 2025, MORSECORP, Inc. of Cambridge, MA resolved allegations that it had...more
Major changes are coming again to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program ("FedRAMP"), the federal government's cybersecurity authorization program for cloud service providers ("CSPs")....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
In a striking move at the end of March, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a $4.6 million settlement with MORSE Corp Inc. (“MORSE”), a defense contractor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for falsely certifying...more
While some areas of white-collar enforcement have been deprioritized by the Trump Administration, the Department of Justice (DOJ) remains committed to its Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative as demonstrated by two recent False...more
Last week, President Trump signed over 10 executive orders related to efforts to strengthen America’s defense industry, bolster coal production and electric grid management, and roll back other regulations it views as...more
FedRAMP 20x aims to increase efficiency through automation and removal of hurdles to FedRAMP authorization....more
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently announced plans to develop the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) 20x – a new approach to the government-wide program for the security...more
On March 24, 2025, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (“FedRAMP”) announced a major overhaul of the program, which is being called “FedRAMP 20x.” The FedRAMP 20x announcement stated there are no immediate...more
On Monday, March 24, 2025, the General Services Administration (GSA) launched FedRAMP 20x, as an effort to automate parts of the program and create collaboration with the industry to improve authorization process for cloud...more
WHAT: FedRAMP has announced that it will be working on a new framework for authorization and assessment of cloud services for federal consumption, calling the initiative “FedRAMP 20X” (announcement here). In response to...more
FedRAMP Director Pete Waterman recently unveiled the “FedRAMP 20x” plan – a proposal designed to reimagine and reformulate the FedRAMP authorization process for federal government use of cloud-based products and services....more
In his final days in office, President Biden signed an ambitious executive order to improve the federal government's approach to cybersecurity. Executive Order 14114 ("Executive Order"), issued January 16, 2025, titled...more
Over the last few years, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (“FedRAMP”) Program Management Office (“PMO”) has released two draft guidance documents related to defining the applicable boundary for security...more
In the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity, even organizations that meet stringent security standards can be victims of sophisticated cyberattacks. A notable example of this is the December 8, 2024 cybersecurity incident...more
Citing the threats posed by foreign adversaries and criminal organizations, and seeking enhanced accountability for companies that provide software and cloud services to the federal government, the Biden administration has...more
On January 15, 2025, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) Council issued its long-awaited “CUI Rule.” CUI, or Controlled Unclassified Information, is information that the government creates or possesses, or that an...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
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
Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is often the lifeblood of corporate growth. While whole treatises can be, and have been, written on cybersecurity and legal challenges during M&A activity, the following are a few key...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
As the federal government seeks to procure more artificial intelligence (“AI”), machine learning (“ML”), synthetic content and other emerging technologies in the coming years, government contractors must be prepared to comply...more
So far, 2024 has been another very busy year for U.S. cybersecurity regulation. Among the top priorities has been software security, as we previewed early this year. Companies that sell software to the federal government or...more
To dramatically scale up the Modernizing the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) marketplace, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has completely rewritten FedRAMP’s vision, scope and governance...more
It’s been a hot summer so far but Federal Risk and Authorization Program (“FedRAMP”) is just starting to heat up. In June, FedRAMP (the Federal government’s program for security authorizations for cloud solutions) released...more