Thursday, January 14, 2021
On January 5, 2020, President Trump signed into law H.R. 7898. This new statute amends the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider efforts by HIPAA covered entities and business associates to implement “recognized security practices” when assessing fines or penalties under the HIPAA Security Rule.
The statute provides that if a HIPAA covered entity or business associate can demonstrate compliance for the previous twelve months with “recognized security practices,” then that entity may benefit in the following scenarios:
1. mitigation of fines related to a HHS investigation resulting from a security incident;
Jan.12.2021
On December 11, 2020, Congress presented to President Trump H.R. 6395, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. On December 23, 2020, President Trump vetoed the bill. Subsequently, the House voted on December 28, 2020 and the Senate voted on January 1, 2021 to override the veto.
This Act contains numerous provisions that will impose new requirements, expectations, or opportunities for government contractors. Crowell & Moring’s Government Contracts Group discusses the most consequential changes in the FY2021 NDAA for government contractors below.
Cybersecurity
The FY2021 NDAA is notably replete with cybersecurity measures, particularly those intended to shore up the cybersecurity posture of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). The cybersecurity measures include:
A-LIGN Announces C3PAO Authorization, Provides CMMC Certifications Key to DoD Contracts
Share Article
A-LIGN is among the first C3PAOs and RPOs guiding companies through the evolving CMMC audit and certification process so they can win more business in the growing federal space.
“This regulation will play a critical role in our national security, and A-LIGN is honored to be among the first firms to receive C3PAO status,” said Tony Bai, Federal Practice Lead at A-LIGN TAMPA, Fla. (PRWEB) January 12, 2021 A-LIGN, a leading security and compliance provider, is among the first firms to become an accredited Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO) and Registered Provider Organization (RPO). This allows A-LIGN to help organizations conduct business with the DoD by offering a variety of services including scoping, gap assessments, remediation analysis and documen
Reports had warned about supply chain hacks January 12 The SolarWinds breach shows the risk the U.S. Department of Defense faces from supply chain threats. (cybrain/Getty Images) WASHINGTON – Twice in the last four years, the national security community warned that hacks through IT suppliers posed grave threats to defense and intelligence agencies. Last month, those warnings proved prescient after suspected Russian hackers infiltrated federal agencies through a contractor’s software. While intelligence officials said Jan. 5 the hack is an espionage campaign, confirming Russia as the likely source, the two recent reports alerted the community that hackers could disrupt weapons systems by attacking through the supply chain. Those reports suggested the Pentagon must quickly develop methods to reduce risk from its suppliers.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 11, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Aligned Technology Solutions (ATS), a top ranked managed IT services provider headquartered in the Washington DC Region, is pleased to announce the