“The Department of Justice will use all available resources to ensure whistleblowers that come forward to report cybersecurity failures at federal contractors are protected, according to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco…”
“’Our new civil cyber-fraud initiative will use the False Claims Act to both enforce civil fines on government contractors and grant recipients as well as protect whistleblowers who bring information forward,’ she said. ‘[T]o those who witness irresponsibility that exposes the government to cyber breaches, our message is this: if you see something, say something. We will use all of the legal authorities in our reach to make sure you are protected and compensated.’
Monaco emphasized that with the new initiative, the department is focused on using the False Claims Act as a tool to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used appropriately and to guard public finances and public trust…”
“Under the FCA any person who submits false records to the government can be forced to pay triple the damages caused to the government from fraudulent contract submissions. The offending entity can also be hit with a civil penalty of up to $10,000…” Read the full article here.
Source: DOJ says it will protect whistleblowers who disclose contractor cybersecurity failures – By John Hewitt Jones, October 22, 2021. FedScoop.
