DOJ sues Georgia Tech over allegedly failing to meet cyber requirements for DOD contracts | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The suit relies on a Civil War-era law that DOJ has increasingly turned to for cyber cases.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/georgia-tech-lawsuit-dod-contracts-cybersecurity\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DOJ sues Georgia Tech over allegedly failing to meet cyber requirements for DOD contracts\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The suit relies on a Civil War-era law that DOJ has increasingly turned to for cyber cases.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/georgia-tech-lawsuit-dod-contracts-cybersecurity\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-22T22:32:38+00:00\"> <meta 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readability=\"24.13125\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"28.728888888889\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/cybersecurity\/\"> <span>Cybersecurity<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> The suit relies on a Civil War-era law that DOJ has increasingly turned to for cyber cases. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/doj-sues-georgia-tech-over-allegedly-failing-to-meet-cyber-requirements-for-dod-contracts.jpg?resize=640%2C360&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" 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(Photo Courtesy of Georgia Tech) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"30.437342304458\"><body readability=\"64.65\"><\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department is suing Georgia Tech University and an affiliate company, claiming they failed to meet the cybersecurity standards required for obtaining Pentagon contracts.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. government had earlier joined <a href=\"https:\/\/yr2khqfq.cdn.imgeng.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Georgia-Tech-Research-Corp.-Complaint.pdf\">a whistleblower suit<\/a> brought by current and former members of Georgia Tech\u2019s cybersecurity team and on Thursday the DOJ filed an additional motion to sue on behalf of the Defense Department, the Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.<\/p>\n<p>In advancing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/media\/1364901\/dl?inline=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery\">the suit<\/a>, the DOJ makes use of the False Claims Act \u2014 a Civil War-era law aimed at combatting shady contractors\u2014 which has <a href=\"https:\/\/therecord.media\/doj-corporate-cybersecurity-false-claims-act-enforcement\">been used<\/a> for cyber cases since 2022 under its Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpecifically, the lawsuit alleges that until at least February 2020, the Astrolavos Lab at Georgia Tech failed to develop and implement a system security plan, which is required by DoD cybersecurity regulations, that set out the cybersecurity controls that Georgia Tech was required to put in place in the lab,\u201d a release summarizing the complaint states. \u201cEven when the Astrolavos Lab finally implemented a system security plan in February 2020, the lawsuit alleges that Georgia Tech failed to properly scope that plan to include all covered laptops, desktops, and servers.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the lawsuit, the lab didn\u2019t install anti-malware software on devices, and that the university and affiliate company submitted a false cybersecurity assessment score to the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Georgia Tech said the complaint \u201cmisrepresented Georgia Tech\u2019s culture of innovation and integrity,\u201d was \u201cdisappointed\u201d in the DOJ maneuver and would \u201cvigorously dispute\u201d it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis case has\u202fnothing\u202fto do with confidential information or protected government secrets,\u201d said the spokesperson, Blair Meeks. \u201cThe government told Georgia Tech that it was conducting research that did not require cybersecurity restrictions, and the government itself publicized Georgia Tech\u2019s groundbreaking research findings. In fact, in this case,\u202fthere was\u202fno breach of information, and\u202fno data leaked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The two Georgia Tech whistleblowing personnel whose names are listed as plaintiffs, Kyle Koza and Christopher Craig, first filed their suit in 2022. <\/p>\n<p>One whistleblower claimed that for years there was \u201cno enforcement\u201d of cybersecurity regulations at Georgia Tech, with the school prioritizing financial gain over compliance. The whistleblowers have also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/2-men-file-lawsuit-against-ga-tech-accuse-university-failing-protect-sensitive-information\/XBHR4LO7SJBIFF6M5DPUFDHJDQ\/\">detailed their allegations<\/a> in an interview.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cCybersecurity compliance by government contractors is critical in safeguarding U.S. information and systems against threats posed by malicious actors,\u201d U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia said in a statement. \u201cFor this reason, we expect contractors to abide by cybersecurity requirements in their contracts and grants, regardless of the size or type of the organization or the number of contracts involved. Our office will hold accountable those contractors who ignore cybersecurity rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/doj-sues-georgia-tech-over-allegedly-failing-to-meet-cyber-requirements-for-dod-contracts-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. 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{"id":4999,"date":"2024-08-22T17:32:38","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T22:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=81480"},"modified":"2024-08-22T17:32:38","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T22:32:38","slug":"doj-sues-georgia-tech-over-allegedly-failing-to-meet-cyber-requirements-for-dod-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/08\/22\/doj-sues-georgia-tech-over-allegedly-failing-to-meet-cyber-requirements-for-dod-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ sues Georgia Tech over allegedly failing to meet cyber requirements for DOD contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"