Trump Administration Enlists Private Companies To Hack Foreign Cybercrime Groups
(Wednesday August 12, 2026 @11:30PM (BeauHD)
from the government-approved-hacking dept.)
- Reference: 0184945478
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/08/13/0052208/trump-administration-enlists-private-companies-to-hack-foreign-cybercrime-groups
- Source link:
The Trump administration today [1]unveiled a new program that will allow vetted U.S. companies to conduct cyber surveillance and offensive cyber operations against foreign transnational criminal organizations. A presidential memorandum signed August 12 directs the National Coordination Center to establish and manage the program, expanding the government's fight against cybercrime by tapping the technical capabilities of the private sector. It builds on a [2]March executive order that called for greater private-sector involvement, but goes significantly further by establishing a formal operational framework for the initiative.
The White House argues that American companies possess a "critical offensive cyber advantage" whose capabilities have "historically been underutilized" in efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks operating online. There are two broad categories of authorized activity. "Cyber Surveillance Operations" can involve secretly accessing foreign information systems without authorization to gather intelligence, including information that could later be used for offensive operations. "Cyber Effects Operations," meanwhile, can result in the "manipulation, disruption, denial, degradation, or destruction" of information systems, networks, or infrastructure.
It's worth noting that companies will not be free to launch their own operations. The memorandum requires program officials to "review every cyber operations package and provide written approval and direction" before a participating company can act. Operations that could cause death or serious injury, or "rise to the level of use of force or armed attack under international law," are classified as "Critical Outcomes" and cannot be approved through the standard process. The program includes safeguards requiring companies to halt and report operations that unintentionally affect U.S. persons or systems, as well as any imminent threats to critical infrastructure.
[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/expanding-capabilities-to-combat-transnational-cyber-enabled-crime/
[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/combating-cybercrime-fraud-and-predatory-schemes-against-american-citizens/
The White House argues that American companies possess a "critical offensive cyber advantage" whose capabilities have "historically been underutilized" in efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks operating online. There are two broad categories of authorized activity. "Cyber Surveillance Operations" can involve secretly accessing foreign information systems without authorization to gather intelligence, including information that could later be used for offensive operations. "Cyber Effects Operations," meanwhile, can result in the "manipulation, disruption, denial, degradation, or destruction" of information systems, networks, or infrastructure.
It's worth noting that companies will not be free to launch their own operations. The memorandum requires program officials to "review every cyber operations package and provide written approval and direction" before a participating company can act. Operations that could cause death or serious injury, or "rise to the level of use of force or armed attack under international law," are classified as "Critical Outcomes" and cannot be approved through the standard process. The program includes safeguards requiring companies to halt and report operations that unintentionally affect U.S. persons or systems, as well as any imminent threats to critical infrastructure.
[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/expanding-capabilities-to-combat-transnational-cyber-enabled-crime/
[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/combating-cybercrime-fraud-and-predatory-schemes-against-american-citizens/
I wonder⦠(Score:2)
by boggin4fun ( 1422043 )
Just who will get those lucrative contractsâ¦
Re: (Score:2)
by sit1963nz ( 934837 )
The My Pillow Guy...?
This will go well...not (Score:2)
by sit1963nz ( 934837 )
The chance of a major screw up is overwhelming .... who knows they may "accidentally" hack US companies.... not being restricted by all those pesky laws US law enforcement has to obey.
Arms races... (Score:2)
by alcmena ( 312085 )
Arms races always end well for everyone involved...
Privatizing the NSA (Score:4, Insightful)
It's bad enough we have government spooks doing this stuff, but now we are going to have private corporations doing it with even less oversight. Why not? I hear all the best countries do it this way...
What could possibly go wrong?
Re: (Score:1)
Its just wealth transfer from US taxpayers to oligarch techbros.
There is no other reason.
Re: (Score:1)
Oh there's plenty of other reasons. Trump is gradually building a private army for his own personal use. Assuming that the Democrats don't win in 2026 and 2028 it will probably become entrenched and it's likely that'll be the end of our democracy.
Re: (Score:2)
And even if they do win, they will not be able to remove them. Trump really knows what he's doing, embedding loyal and deeply ideological people deep into the state institutions. He always talked about the deep state conspiracy. It never existed before, but does now. Dems will have to essentially do what Trump did (rule like a king) to undo it all. Either way it doesn't bode well for the future of the Republic. The United States will live on in some form, but it won't be at all like it was before Trump
Re: (Score:2)
Trump..no, Trump has no idea what is going on. Trump is just a useful idiot. Koch Brothers and other billionaires Ala project 2025, absolutely, they are in control.
Re: (Score:2)
Wonderful, the Dear Leader has reinvented letters of marque, which were banned by the 1856 Paris Declaration.
Re: (Score:2)
Dear Leader doesn't care about domestic laws/conventions, why would he care about some foreign ones?
Re: (Score:2)
No 'cyber operation' authorization by a court is mentioned, however. Unless these operations are devoid of 'search' capabiity, the authorization of a court of law, including specific disclosure of the nature of the data being probed, is required by the Constitution.
Re: Privatizing the NSA (Score:2)
The constitution only ever means what you and four friends on scotus say it does. Itâ(TM)s only a sacred document to the extent that most of us honor it that way.