The U.S. government will for the first time allow vetted private companies to launch offensive cyber operations against international criminal gangs and hackers, the White House said on Wednesday.
In a newly published presidential memorandum, the Trump administration said the move will allow the federal government to use “innovative capabilities of the private sector” to combat cybercrime and threats targeting Americans, such as ransomware attacks, financial scams, and sextortion.
The memorandum allows private companies participating in the government’s program to conduct surveillance, like using spyware to collect intelligence, as well as make disruptive attacks aimed at the destruction of criminals’ data or systems.
The policy change marks a seismic shift in the U.S. government’s long-standing position under U.S. federal computer hacking laws, which broadly prohibit private companies from conducting cyberattacks or disruption operations without a court-authorized approval.
