Trump signs memo authorizing private companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against foreign criminal networks
President Trump signed a memo Tuesday authorizing vetted private companies to conduct offensive cyber operations and surveillance against foreign criminal networks. Firms can disrupt or degrade foreign systems, but each operation needs written government approval first, per the W
President Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum on Tuesday authorizing vetted private-sector companies to conduct offensive cyber operations and surveillance against foreign transnational criminal organizations, according to a White House fact sheet. The memo divides authorized activity into two categories. Cyber Surveillance Operations let participating firms secretly access foreign information systems to gather intelligence. Cyber Effects Operations go further, authorizing actions that manipulate, disrupt, deny, degrade or destroy foreign networks and infrastructure. A newly designated National Coordination Center will manage the program, and officials must review every operations package and give written approval before a company can act. Operations that could cause death or serious injury, or that would rise to the level of a use of force or armed attack under international law, are classified as "Critical Outcomes" and cannot go through the standard approval process. The memorandum builds on a March executive order that first called for expanding private-sector involvement in offensive cyber operations. Source: The White House