Georgia
Lawsuit: Georgia Tech Didn’t Enforce Cybersecurity Rules
(TNS) — The federal government is alleging Georgia Tech and its research arm didn’t follow enforcement of cybersecurity rules for U.S. Department of Defense contracts.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia filed a 99-page “complaint-in-intervention” Thursday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. The filing lays out the reasons the federal government joined a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2022 by one former employee and one current employee of Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity team.
The complaint alleges Georgia Tech, through its Georgia Tech Research Corp., entered numerous contracts over the years and that, according to a former employee, “there was, for years, ‘no enforcement’ of cybersecurity regulations.”
The filing alleges that the issue stemmed from Georgia Tech’s desire to accommodate researchers who found the cybersecurity rules to be “burdensome” and that school administrators gave into researcher demands because of the money generated from government contracts.
“Put simply, according to these former employees, the researchers who brought in significant government contracting money were considered the equivalent of ‘star quarterbacks’ and thus could use their ‘power on campus’ to push back against compliance with federal cybersecurity rules,” the complaint states.
Georgia Tech said it is “extremely disappointed by the Department of Justice’s filing, which misrepresents Georgia Tech’s culture of innovation and integrity.”
“Their complaint is entirely off base, and we will vigorously dispute it in court,” the Atlanta school said, in a Thursday statement.
Georgia Tech also said: “This case has nothing to do with confidential information or protected government secrets. The government told Georgia Tech that it was conducting research that did not require cybersecurity restrictions, and the government itself publicized Georgia Tech’s groundbreaking research findings. In fact, in this case, there was no breach of information, and no data leaked.”
The case was initially brought more than two years ago by Christopher Craig, identified in Thursday’s court filing as an enterprise security architect who has worked at Georgia Tech since 2003. The other whistleblower plaintiff, Kyle Koza, worked at Georgia Tech from 2011 to 2022, the complaint states.
The complaint asks for civil penalties, damages and other costs.
“Cybersecurity compliance by government contractors is critical in safeguarding U.S. information and systems against threats posed by malicious actors,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, in a written statement. “For this reason, we expect contractors to abide by cybersecurity requirements in their contracts and grants, regardless of the size or type of the organization or the number of contracts involved.”
© 2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Seven small and rural Peach State cities are hosting exhibits as part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street ‘Voices and Votes’ program.
Georgia’s inaugural “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” exhibit launched Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Putnam County Administrative Building. This is a partnership of Georgia Humanities, Georgia Writers Museum and the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street initiative. (David Plazas/AJC)
Our soon-to-be 250-year-old democratic republic endured major stress tests recently that shook the faith of citizens across the political spectrum.
A presidential assassination attempt at the April 25 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner engendered conspiracy theories on social media that further pushed people into their corners.
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AJC Opinion Editor David Plazas (center) stands with Georgia Writers Museum board member Chip Ward (left) and board president Lou Benjamin (right) at the inaugural “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” exhibit in Eatonton, Georgia on April 25, 2026.
Celebrate your republic across the state
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David Plazas joined the AJC as opinion editor in 2025. His goal is to create the ultimate platform for conversations, debates and idea exchanges in the South. He spent 25 years at the USA TODAY Company working his way from reporter at The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida, to statewide opinion and engagement editor at The Tennessean in Nashville.
Flood Watch
from WED 4:00 PM EDT until THU 8:00 AM EDT, Walton County, Haralson County, Newton County, Lamar County, Henry County, Fannin County, Troup County, Pike County, Bartow County, Meriwether County, Clayton County, Heard County, Dawson County, Douglas County, Jasper County, Gwinnett County, Banks County, South Fulton County, Carroll County, Butts County, White County, Union County, Fayette County, Upson County, Walker County, Catoosa County, Cherokee County, North Fulton County, Cobb County, Paulding County, Lumpkin County, Gilmer County, Polk County, Hall County, Whitfield County, Murray County, Forsyth County, Spalding County, Jackson County, Gordon County, Barrow County, Floyd County, Towns County, Dade County, Pickens County, Coweta County, Rockdale County, DeKalb County, Chattooga County
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday that he plans to join U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley on a campaign tour Thursday in northeast Georgia.
Dooley, a Republican candidate who describes himself as a “political outsider,” has a series of five stops. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp plan to support the candidate, who, like Kemp, grew up in Athens.
Dooley, the son of University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, and himself a former college and NFL coach, is running against GOP candidates Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and others. Carter and Collins are members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Republican primary is on May 19.
Dooley’s tour begins at 9 a.m. at the McEachin Farm, 600 U.S. 29, Danielsville, followed by a stop at the Franklin Springs Public Safety Building at 10:30 a.m. on 2525 West Main St.
The next stops are 12:30 p.m. at the Crossroads Café, 4654 Ga. Highway 115, Demorest; 2 p.m. at Linda’s Place, 66 Doyle St., Toccoa; and 3:30 p.m. at the Homer Fire Department, 243 Sycamore St., Homer.
Dooley, who has a law degree from UGA, will also make stops on Friday in Fannin, Hall, and Morgan counties.
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