US Authorizes Private Cyber Firms to Hack Transnational Criminal Networks
Brief
Trump authorizes vetted US cybersecurity firms to conduct government-approved cyber operations against transnational criminal networks.
President Trump signed a national security memorandum on August 13 establishing a formal program that allows vetted private US cybersecurity companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against transnational criminal organizations under government direction and oversight.
The program, managed by the National Coordination Center, covers both intelligence collection, described as Cyber Surveillance Operations, and active disruption of criminal infrastructure, described as Cyber Effects Operations. It’s the formal implementation of what the White House’s Cyber Strategy for America promised in March: unleashing the private sector as an offensive cyber instrument.