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Jacob Harrison

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Jacob Harrison helps his clients navigate both domestic and international legal challenges.

Jake advises U.S. government contractors on internal investigations and state and federal regulatory compliance. His compliance practice focuses on counseling clients operating at the intersection of government contracts and cybersecurity, including for cybersecurity compliance reviews, risk assessments, and data breaches.

In his international practice, Jake represents foreign and domestic clients in Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act litigation. He also has experience advising clients involved in cross-border commercial arbitration proceedings.

During law school, Jake served as an associate editor of the Emory Law Journal and interned at the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Georgia House Democratic Caucus. Before attending law school, Jake worked in politics and state government.

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What is FedRAMP?

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is a government-wide initiative established to standardize the security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring of cloud products and services used by federal agencies. FedRAMP’s primary objective is to ensure that cloud service providers (CSPs) implement robust security controls to protect federal information in cloud environments. By leveraging a consistent framework for security assessment and authorization, FedRAMP is intended to reduce duplication of effort, cost, and time for both agencies and vendors.Continue Reading FedRAMP Proposes Updates to Authorization Process—Six New RFCs Released for Public Comment

In an important first, the yearly defense policy law, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, directs the Department of Defense (DoD)  to develop and implement a framework addressing the cybersecurity and physical security of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies (AI/ML) acquired by the Pentagon.Continue Reading CMMC for AI? Defense Policy Law Imposes AI Security Framework and Requirements on Contractors

On December 18, 2025, the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 2026 NDAA) (P.L. 119-60) was signed into law. The Act makes significant changes to defense acquisition, sourcing restrictions, and interactions between the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and the Department of Defense (DOD). Continue Reading The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Swiss Automation Inc., an Illinois-based precision machining company, agreed to pay $421,234 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by inadequately protecting technical drawings for parts delivered to Department of Defense (DoD) prime contractors.  This settlement reflects DOJ’s persistent emphasis on cybersecurity compliance across all levels of the defense industrial base, reaching beyond prime contractors to encompass subcontractors and smaller suppliers.  The settlement is also a reminder to all contractors not to overlook the often confusing relationship between Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and export-controlled information.Continue Reading An ITAR-ly Critical Reminder of Cybersecurity Requirements: DOJ Settles with Swiss Automation, Inc.

On September 30, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) agreed to pay $875,000 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) and federal common law by failing to meet cybersecurity requirements under certain Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contracts.  The settlement adds to the growing list of recoveries under DOJ’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative and is yet another example of DOJ’s ongoing enforcement focus on cybersecurity obligations for federal contractors handling sensitive government information.  The settlement also provides insight into how government contractors may challenge FCA liability when faced with allegations of cybersecurity noncompliance.Continue Reading From Yellow Jackets to Red Flags: DOJ Stings Georgia Tech for Alleged Cybersecurity Noncompliance

On June 6, 2025 President Trump signed an Executive Order, Sustaining Select Efforts to Strengthen the Nation’s Cybersecurity and Amending Executive Order 13694 and Executive Order 14144 (the “Trump Cyber EO”). The Trump Cyber EO rescinds and modifies select Biden administration guidance from EO 14144 covering several cybersecurity regimes, including digital identity verification, artificial intelligence, and secure software development practices, and it amends Obama administration guidance from EO 13694 authorizing sanctions on persons involved in malicious cyber activities. We have provided a summary of significant changes made by the Trump Cyber EO below.Continue Reading Trump Administration Cyber Executive Order Revises Prior Administrations’ Requirements

The Department of Defense (DoD) has released a memorandum establishing the DoD Organization-Defined Parameters (ODPs) for use in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171 Revision (Rev) 3. Currently, DoD’s cybersecurity regimes require government contractors to comply with NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 2. However, the release of this memorandum may indicate DoD’s intention to soon incorporate Rev. 3 into DFARS 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting (DFARS 7012) as well as the forthcoming Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).Continue Reading DoD Specifies Implementation Requirements for NIST 800-171 Cyber Standard

On March 26, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that defense contractor MORSECORP Inc. (MORSE) will pay $4.6 million to settle allegations that MORSE violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by failing to comply with cybersecurity requirements and subsequently submitting false or fraudulent claims for payment in its contracts with the Departments of the Army and Air Force. This is the first FCA settlement that is based on a defense contractor’s failure to reevaluate and promptly update its self-assessment score in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) after a third-party assessment resulted in a lower score.Continue Reading For Better or MORSE: Another Settlement Under DOJ’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative

On March 12, 2025, the Government of Canada announced plans to launch the Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification (CPCSC). CPCSC is a cybersecurity compliance verification program that aims to protect sensitive unclassified government information handled by Canadian government contractors and subcontractors within Canada’s defense sector. Canada will roll out CPCSC to contractors in four phases, with the first phase launching this month.Continue Reading Canadian CMMC? Canada Proposes Cyber Compliance Regime for Canadian Defense Suppliers

On March 24, 2025, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) unveiled “FedRAMP 20x,” a proposal to make FedRAMP more efficient by automating FedRAMP security assessments and continuous monitoring, simplifying required technical controls, and leaning on industry to provide tooling and solutions to support automation. Continue Reading FedRAMP 20x: Proposed Framework Aims To Increase Automation and Efficiency