On May 10, 2023, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) released Revision 3 to its foundational publication, 800-171, Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations. The publication provides guidelines for protecting sensitive unclassified information in contractor systems, and these guidelines establish the baseline cybersecurity requirements for federal defense contractors. 

Accuracy in contractor proposal representations and cybersecurity compliance remains pressing, as demonstrated by an April 2021 settlement under the False Claims Act (FCA). In a previous alert, we noted that contractor representations of cybersecurity compliance/capabilities represent a fertile ground for bid protests. In this GT Alert, we highlight how the Department of Justice (DOJ)