Trump signs memo authorizing private firms to conduct cyber ops against transnational criminals

The National Coordination Center will establish a program allowing authorized U.S. companies to conduct cyber operations against transnational criminal organizations under the direction of the federal government, according to a memorandum signed by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

Authorization and Oversight

Program executive directors from the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice will have the authority to approve companies' cyber operations, unless the authorization would result in:

• Loss of life
• Serious injury
• Actions that "rise to the level of use of force or armed attack under international law"

The federal government will vet and oversee authorized companies, which must enter into contractual agreements with either DHS or the Department of Justice.

Screening Standards

The specific standards for screening companies will be drafted by the program executive directors—in coordination with the Homeland Security Council—within 60 days of the memo's signing. According to the document, these standards will include:

• Technical proficiency
• Proven performance of cyber operations
• Facility security
• Personnel vetting
• Competence and reliability

The group will ensure that program participation criteria enable involvement from both large and small companies, and that operations target only transnational criminal organizations.

Commercial Agreements and Reporting

The memorandum also permits participating companies to enter into commercial agreements with:

• Other private sector entities
• Federal agencies
• State entities

The program executive directors will produce a status report on the initiative and submit it to the National Cyber Director and the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor.

Policy Context

The cybersecurity program builds on a March executive order outlining steps to combat cybercrime. That order was released alongside a national security strategy that called for the government to respond more directly to adversarial threats and secure critical U.S. technologies.

Industry Reaction

In a statement, Mike Centrella—head of public policy at SecurityScorecard—said the document "represents an important shift in how the United States approaches cyber threats originating overseas."

"Strengthening defenses remains critical, but the memorandum recognizes that addressing cybercrime also requires identifying and disrupting the infrastructure and networks that allow criminal organizations to operate," he said.

Centrella added that the guidance "signals an evolution in public-private cybersecurity collaboration—from primarily sharing information about threats toward combining government authorities with private-sector intelligence and capabilities to more actively disrupt them."