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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.

The Department of Defense recently provided some clarity on the timeline for implementation of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. The DoD now expects to complete documentation to submit to the Office of Management and Budget for its rulemaking process by July 2022. And, it plans to issue interim final rules by March 2023. If DoD sticks to this new timeline, the CMMC requirements could begin appearing in solicitations for government contracts as early as May 2023 (60 days after the rules are published). Continue Reading Updated Timeline for DoD’s Cybersecurity Certification Program

President Biden recently signed into law the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 as a part of a larger omnibus appropriations bill.  The new law sets out mandatory reporting requirements for critical infrastructure entities in the event of certain cyber incidents and ransomware payments.  Under the Act, once implementing regulations are issued (which are not expected this year) covered entities will be subject to two new reporting requirements:  
Continue Reading Cybersecurity Act Signed Into Law Creates New Reporting Obligations

NIST recently released several key deliverables relating to cybersecurity. These focus on secure software development and new consumer labeling programs as contemplated by President Biden’s Executive Order 14028, which seeks to implement multiple new practices to improve the Nation’s cybersecurity.
Continue Reading NIST Releases New Guidance on Software Security and Cybersecurity Consumer Labeling Programs

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking comments to improve its Cybersecurity Framework, “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” (Request for Information available here). The Cybersecurity Framework is a key document providing organizations with standards, guidelines, and best practices to manage cybersecurity risk. With many changes to the cybersecurity landscape since the last update to the Cyber Framework in 2018, NIST hopes to address new threats, capabilities, technologies, and resources. Comments are due by April 25, 2022.
Continue Reading NIST Seeks Comments on Cybersecurity Framework Refresh

President Biden recently signed a National Security Memorandum on cybersecurity. This memorandum was required by an earlier executive order, which we previously have discussed here.  The new memorandum (NSM) requires certain network cybersecurity measures for any government information system that is used for highly sensitive national security purposes. The requirements go into effect on a rolling basis over the next 6 months.
Continue Reading White House Focuses on Improving the Cybersecurity of National Security Systems

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 the federal government) should expect in 2022. This is part four of a four-part series (you can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.
Continue Reading 2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 4 of 4: Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (“CMMC”) 2.0

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 the federal government) should expect in 2022. This is part three of a four-part series (you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here).
Continue Reading 2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 3 of 4: Cyber Incident & Ransomware Payment Reporting Legislation

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 the federal government) should expect in 2022. This is part two of a four-part series (you can read Part 1 here).
Continue Reading 2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 2 of 4: Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil-Cyber Fraud Initiative

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 the federal government) should expect in 2022. This is part one of a four-part series.
Continue Reading 2021 Cybersecurity Recap for Government Contractors (and What to Expect in 2022) – Part 1 of 4: Biden’s Cybersecurity Executive Order (EO 14028)

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 sister blog, the new version of the program – “CMMC 2.0” – has several important differences from the original program. CMMC 2.0 is anticipated to go into effect anywhere from nine to 24 months from now.
Continue Reading Updates Announced to Department of Defense Cybersecurity Certification Program