US poised to sue contractors who don’t report cyber breaches

By ERIC TUCKER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is poised to sue government contractors and other companies who receive U.S. government grants if they fail to report breaches of their cyber systems. That’s according to the Justice Department’s No. 2 official. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the department is prepared to take legal action under a statute called the False Claims Act against contractors who misuse federal dollars by failing to disclose hacks or by having deficient cybersecurity standards. The department will also protect whistleblowers who come forward to report those issues.