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
FedRAMP 20x: Proposed Framework Aims To Increase Automation and Efficiency
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
An Un[waiver]ing Commitment to CMMC: The Department of Defense Issues Guidance for Determining Assessment Levels
Amidst a flurry of executive cost-cutting, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program—often known just as “CMMC”— appears to be defying the odds and only picking up steam. Marking the first CMMC developments under the new administration, the DoD has published guidance that previews what to expect once CMMC is finalized. These developments suggest that the current administration intends to pick up where it left off, having first introduced the CMMC program during President Trump’s first term.Continue Reading An Un[waiver]ing Commitment to CMMC: The Department of Defense Issues Guidance for Determining Assessment Levels
Who I(aa)S Your Foreign Customer? Department of Commerce Proposes Foreign Customer Identification Requirements For U.S. IaaS Providers
On January 29, 2024, the Department of Commerce released a proposed rule: Taking Additional Steps To Address the National Emergency With Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities, which solicits comments regarding a proposed new set of regulations that would introduce significant new requirements for U.S.-based Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) providers. The proposed rule implements requirements from the January 2021 Executive Order Taking Additional Steps To Address the National Emergency With Respect to Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities and part of the October 2023 Executive Order Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. If Commerce implements the regulations as proposed, IaaS providers would be required to create a Customer Identification Program (CIP), ensure any foreign resellers maintain a CIP, track all customer identities, verify the identities of foreign customers, and report certain transactions implicating large AI models that could be used for malicious cyber-enabled activities. The Department is soliciting comments on all aspects of the proposed rule by April 29, 2024.Continue Reading Who I(aa)S Your Foreign Customer? Department of Commerce Proposes Foreign Customer Identification Requirements For U.S. IaaS Providers
The Holidays Come Early: NIST Unwraps Final Draft Revision 3 to NIST SP 800-171
On November 9, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) released the Final Public Draft (“FPD”) of Special Publication (“SP”) 800-171 Revision (“Rev.”) 3, “Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations” and the Initial Public Draft of NIST SP 800-171A Rev 3, “Assessing Security Requirements for Controlled Unclassified Information.” The FPD of SP 800-171 Rev. 3 condenses several control requirements from the initial public draft while adding new requirements under existing controls. The initial draft of SP 800-171A now aligns with SP 800-171 Rev. 3 and includes more detailed assessment procedures than its predecessor. Changes in both documents forecast the evolving compliance requirements for organizations required to safeguard Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”).Continue Reading The Holidays Come Early: NIST Unwraps Final Draft Revision 3 to NIST SP 800-171
Biden’s Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence
On October 30, 2023, President Biden released an Executive Order (EO) on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This landmark EO seeks to advance the safe and secure development and deployment of AI by implementing a society-wide effort across government, the private sector, academia, and civil society to harness “AI for good,” while mitigating its substantial risks.Continue Reading Biden’s Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence
Private Sector Helps Lead the Way: Biden-Harris Administration Secures Voluntary Commitments from Leading Artificial Intelligence Companies to Manage the Risks Posed by AI
On July 21, 2023, the Biden administration announced that seven companies leading the development of artificial intelligence (AI) — Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI — have made voluntary commitments, which the companies agreed to undertake immediately, to help move towards safe, secure, and transparent development of AI technology. The goal of the voluntary commitments, or the “AI Agreement” as it is informally dubbed, is to establish a set of standards that promote the principles of safety, security, and trust deemed fundamental to the future of AI. Continue Reading Private Sector Helps Lead the Way: Biden-Harris Administration Secures Voluntary Commitments from Leading Artificial Intelligence Companies to Manage the Risks Posed by AI
Biden Admin Eyes IoT Cyber Practices
On June 18, 2023, the Biden-Harris administration announced the launch of a new “U.S. Cyber Trust Mark” program (hereinafter the “Program”). First proposed by Federal Communication Commission (“FCC”) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the Program aims to increase transparency and competition across the smart devices sector and to assist consumers in making informed decisions about the security of the devices they purchase. Continue Reading Biden Admin Eyes IoT Cyber Practices