If your firm does business with the U.S. government—through a contract or receiving grant funds—your cybersecurity defenses had better be up to snuff.

Recent pronouncements from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and White House make it clear the government will be far less tolerant of excuses from companies who don’t report breaches in a timely manner, whose cybersecurity protocols are lax, or who misrepresent the controls they claim to have in place.

Aaron Nicodemus is the Editor-in-Chief of Compliance Week. He previously worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Law and as business editor at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass. Email: aaron.nicodemus@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...