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ARTICLE · 06 MARCH 2025

The More Things Change… DOJ's Latest Cyber Settlement Shows Continued False Claims Act Risk

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Although the change in administrations has heralded shifting enforcement priorities at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), cybersecurity enforcement under the False Claims Act (FCA) appears to be alive and well.

United StatesTechnology
Joseph W. Swanson
Joseph W. Swanson
Matthew D. Krueger
Matthew D. Krueger
Jason Mehta
Jason Mehta
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Although the change in administrations has heralded shifting enforcement priorities at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), cybersecurity enforcement under the False Claims Act (FCA) appears to be alive and well. That is the takeaway from the recent DOJ announcement that Health Net Federal Services and its parent, Centene Corporation, have agreed to pay over US$11 million to resolve a FCA matter alleging cybersecurity violations.

The Health Net Settlement

According to DOJ, Health Net entered into a contract with the Department of Defense to administer the Defense Health Agency's TRICARE health benefits program. Health Net allegedly failed to meet certain cybersecurity controls as part of its government contract and falsely certified compliance with those requirements in annual reports to the government. The government alleged that the company failed to timely scan for known vulnerabilities and to remedy security flaws on its networks and systems. In

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