Donald Trump deputizes US private companies to conduct cyber-attacks

President signed memorandum giving private sector a role in fighting ‘transnational criminal organizations’

Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that aims to give private companies the power to carry out offensive cyber-attacks against foreign criminal entities.

The president ⁠signed a ​national security presidential memorandum directing his administration to “leverage the capability and innovation of the private sector to help conduct these ⁠cyber operations under the direction, control and authority of the US government”, the White House said.

The policy shift gives the private sector a role that has traditionally been reserved for government agencies, essentially deputizing companies in the fight against crime online. Trump’s memo does not give private firms unlimited ability to conduct hacking operations, but instead would authorize “limited cyber operations at the direction of the US government”.

International concern over cyber-attacks has grown after the release of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models, which have shown that they can hack into outdated security systems. In the US, hackers targeted critical infrastructure systems in several states earlier this year, resulting in disruptions at water facilities.

The White House, in a fact sheet about ⁠the memo, cited ransomware attacks, financial frauds and other crimes run by foreign-based criminal organizations, ​referred to in the memo ‌as “transnational criminal organizations” (TCOs).

The Trump administration has previously vowed to give private firms a larger role in cybersecurity operations. A national cybersecurity policy released in March stated that the government would create incentives to “unleash the private sector” against foreign adversaries.