In this episode, Jacob speaks with attorney Julie Bracker! Julie is the whistleblower attorney for both the Penn State University and Georgia Tech University FCA complaints. These complaints essentially allege the defendants misrepresented their compliance with NIST 800-171! They discuss the False Claims Act and the DOJ's Civil Cyber Fraud Initiative, and what federal contractors can do to avoid being the subject of a whistleblower complaint! Here are some highlights from the episode: What is the False Claims Act?What is the DoJ's Civil Cyber Fraud Initiative?What are the risks and rewards for whistleblowers?Who are the targets of the initiative?Can companies blindly rely on their MSP and be safe?How to quantify damages of cyber noncompliance fraudDoJ Civil Cyber Fraud settled lawsuits so farGeorgia Tech and Penn State FCA casesFollow Julie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliekeetonbracker/ Bracker & Marcus LLP Website: https://www.fcacounsel.com/ Penn State FCA Complaint: https://cdn.grcacademy.io/web/20240325204912/penn-state-university-false-claims-act-complaint.pdf Georgia Tech FCA Complaint: https://cdn.grcacademy.io/web/20240325204909/georgia-tech-university-false-claims-act-complaint.pdf 2023 DoJ Report of FCA settlements (more than $2.68 billion): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/false-claims-act-settlements-and-judgments-exceed-268-billion-fiscal-year-2023 ----------- Governance, Risk, and Compliance Academy (GRC) Academy is a training and research platform! Online GRC Training: https://grcacademy.io/courses/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=s1-e21&utm_campaign=courses Need a FedRAMP authorized Password Manager? Start a free 14-day trial of Keeper: https://grcacademy.io/ref/keeper/b2b-trial/ See the CMMC controls that Keeper meets: https://grcacademy.io/ref/keeper/cmmc-controls-sheet/