Photo of Townsend Bourne

Townsend Bourne

Subscribe to Townsend Bourne's Posts

Townsend Bourne is a partner in the Governmental Practice in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. She also is Leader of the firm’s Government Business Group.

Contact:Read more about Townsend Bourne

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)’s new data security rule went into effect April 8, 2025. This rule requires companies to take measures to prevent U.S. sensitive personal and government-related data from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries. The rule targets transactions (including data brokerage, vendor agreements, employment agreements, and investment agreements) involving access to bulk sensitive personal data or government-related data when those transactions involve identified covered persons or countries of concern (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela). Continue Reading DOJ Announces 90-Day Grace Period for Companies to Comply with New Data Security Rules on Foreign Adversary Access to U.S. Sensitive Data

In the waning months of the current administration, the White House issued a memo setting forth actions focused on national security as directed in the AI Executive Order from last year. As a reminder, the order -while directed to government agencies- also had impacts on how businesses use of artificial intelligence.Continue Reading ‘All Hands on Deck’ – White House Continues to Call on Agencies for AI National Security Plan

The Department of Defense published the final version of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) rule last week. This rule establishes the parameters of the program and timeline for implementation. A separate rule to finalize associated contract requirements is expected early to mid-next year. For a deep-dive into noteworthy takeaways for the Final Rule, see our analysis here. Here are some highlights:Continue Reading Countdown to Compliance: The Department of Defense Finalizes Its Cybersecurity Program Rule

The Biden Administration recently issued an Executive Order aimed at protecting American’s sensitive information and certain US Government data from threats posed by foreign actors. Of note is the Order’s focus on data brokers that may share data in bulk with foreign entities and/or individuals.Continue Reading New Program Under Biden Executive Order to Prevent Access to American’s Sensitive Personal Data by Foreign Actors

In its first major overhaul since 2014, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) updated its Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) on February 26, 2024. The updated 27-page CSF version 2.0 builds on version 1.1 and provides guidance to industry, government agencies, and other organizations on how to manage cybersecurity risks. While voluntary, the CSF has been a popular compliance resource within the private sector, both domestically and internationally, and has increasingly appeared in state and federal regulations as well as federal grants and grant incentive programs. The revised guidance, therefore, potentially has significant implications for organizations managing cybersecurity risks.Continue Reading NIST Expands Cybersecurity Framework with Release of Version 2.0

The Department of Defense published a much-anticipated Proposed Rule at the end of last year for its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. The proposed rule is our first comprehensive look at the latest iteration of the CMMC program (referred to as CMMC 2.0), which will become effective once final changes are made to DoD regulations for contractors. The program attempts to streamline the various DoD cybersecurity requirements and provide greater flexibility in the certification process.Continue Reading Defense Department Outlines Its Future Cybersecurity Program

In response to a constantly-evolving cyber threat landscape, the Biden Administration recently announced the launch of a new cybersecurity labeling program – the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark program – in an effort to enhance transparency and protection against cyber threats in the growing Internet of Things (“IoT”) device space.Continue Reading Cybersecurity Labeling Program to Increase Transparency of IoT Device Security

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is updating the security standards that govern the protection of sensitive government information. NIST recently released an initial public draft for comment. The document will be the third version of its existing standard (NIST SP 800-171), Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations. The comment period closes July 14, 2023.Continue Reading NIST Seeks Input on Standards for Protecting Sensitive Government Information

To conclude our series of cybersecurity areas to focus on in 2023 for those who do business with the Federal government, we look at the FedRAMP and StateRAMP developments from 2022. For the rest of this series, see our prior articles (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four).Continue Reading Do Business With the Federal Government? Here’s a 2022 Cybersecurity Recap: Part Five- Further Adoption of FedRAMP & StateRAMP

The federal government has continued its efforts to fulfill the requirements set forth in Executive Order 14028, Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. For companies that do business with the Federal government, beyond looking at the other issues raised in this series of posts (see here, here and here), these efforts will be important to keep in mind in 2023. There are three efforts underway by the FAR Council to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) related to the Executive Order (in addition to the Secure Software efforts discussed in Part Three).Continue Reading Do Business With the Federal Government? Here’s a 2022 Cybersecurity Recap: Part Four – Cybersecurity Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Updates

Today we continue our series (see here and here) with the Office of Management and Budget’s September 2022 memorandum requiring federal agencies to only use software from software producers that attest compliance with secure software development guidance issued by the NIST. The new requirements will apply to any third-party software that is used on government information systems or that otherwise “affects” government information. You can read our article about the guidance here.Continue Reading Do Business With the Federal Government? Here’s a 2022 Cybersecurity Recap: Part Three – Secure Software Development Attestation Requirements