Learn the Fundamentals
New to federal cybersecurity contracting? Start here. We built this section for contracts officers, program managers, founders, and compliance leads who want to understand the rules in plain English — without wading through a single FAR clause first.
Suggested Reading Path
- 1Start with Cybersecurity 101
Get the lay of the land — what the government means by 'controlled' data, who the major rule-makers are, and why your contract type changes which rules apply.
- 2Keep the Glossary open
As acronyms come up — CUI, CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, FedRAMP — look them up once and the rest of the site stops feeling like alphabet soup.
- 3Run Find My Requirements
Answer a few questions about your contract and we'll show you the specific clauses and frameworks that apply to your work. This is where 'learning' turns into a checklist.
Cybersecurity 101
The core concepts behind every federal cyber requirement — what data the government is protecting, who has to protect it, and the handful of frameworks the rules keep coming back to. Read this first if any of the acronyms feel unfamiliar.
Start readingAI & Government Contracts
Artificial intelligence is moving into federal contracting fast — as something the government is buying and as a tool you use every day. Learn the new 2025 AI rules, how AI overlaps with your cybersecurity duties, and what to watch for when AI shows up in a contract.
Start readingThe Legal Baseline
The federal statutes and FAR clauses that sit beneath every cybersecurity requirement — the common foundation the rest of the rules build on.
Start readingGlossary
A searchable A–Z reference for every acronym, clause shorthand, and term of art used across federal cybersecurity law. Keep it open in a second tab while you read — it's the fastest way to decode anything that trips you up.
Start readingRisk Management
Compliance and risk management are not the same. A guide to connecting NIST frameworks, SSPs, POA&Ms, SPRS scores, CMMC readiness, executive ownership, and third-party risk to the contractor's actual contracts and data.
Start readingForeign Access and Supply Chain Risk
Foreign access risk is not limited to cleared facilities. It can arise through vendors, ownership structures, cloud tools, software dependencies, remote administration, offshore support, subcontractors, and data flows.
Start readingComputer Crime Laws for Government Contractors
Why unauthorized-access law matters in contracting — the CFAA, testing boundaries, rules of engagement, incident response, insider misuse, credential abuse, and practical guardrails for government-contracting environments.
Start readingPrivacy Law for Government Contractors
Privacy law shapes what data contractors may collect, how they may use it, who may access it, and what must happen when something goes wrong — including Privacy Act systems, PII, CUI overlap, sector laws, and breach notification.
Start readingThe Government Contractor Incident Reporting Landscape
Incident reporting is not one rule. It is a stack of contract clauses, agency instructions, privacy laws, cloud authorization requirements, insurance terms, and subcontract notices — all with different deadlines.
Start readingEnforcement
What happens when the rules aren't met — False Claims Act cases, suspension and debarment, and the actions that give these requirements teeth.
Start reading