The Trump administration is opening the door for vetted US companies to conduct cyber operations against foreign cybercriminal organizations under federal supervision, giving the private sector a more direct role in disrupting cyber-enabled crime.
A presidential memorandum issued on August 12 directs the National Coordination Center to create a program authorizing participating companies to conduct cyber surveillance and cyber effects operations against foreign groups engaged in cyber-enabled crime targeting US interests.
The memorandum says, “any resulting operational action will be exclusively conducted on behalf of and under the supervision of the Federal Government.”
Companies admitted t...