Reported by 4 outlets

Timeline

1. original reporting

   Trump turns to private sector in offensive hacking operations memo

   cyberscoop.com · 61d ago · August 13th, 2026

   President Donald Trump signed a national security memorandum Wednesday that lays the groundwork for private sector companies to take a larger role in helping law enforcement carry out offensive hacking operations against transnational criminal organizations. The White House said sustained fraud and other cyber-enabled campaigns from transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) warranted the memo, and cited a fraud-focused executive order from March as only the first step. ”This memorandum expands the fight against TCO-perpetrated cybercrime by incorporating the ingenuity of the private sector,” it reads. Under the memorandum, a federal coordination center “shall create, manage, and maintain a Program to authorize Participating Companies … to conduct Cyber Surveillance Operations and Cyber Effects Operations against foreign Cyber-Enabled Transnational Criminal Organizations (CE-TCOs), under the control and oversight of the Federal Government“ that would be “part of lawful investigatory, protective, or intelligence operations carried out by Federal law enforcement.” Participating companies would have to sign contracts with the Justice Department or Department of Homeland Security to “undergo rigorous vetting.” It would also allow participating companies to sign commercial agreements with other private sector entities to receive threat information. And participating companies’ agreements with federal, state and local governments would be geared toward identifying threats, and pro

2. update from gbhackers.com

   Trump Administration Authorizes Cyber Operations Against Foreign Criminal Networks

   gbhackers.com · 61d ago · August 13th, 2026

   The Trump administration has issued a presidential memorandum that establishes a federal program allowing vetted U.S. This initiative expands Executive Order 14390, issued on March 6, 2026, which directed federal agencies to combat cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes […] The post Trump Administration Authorizes Cyber Operations Against Foreign Criminal Networks appeared first on GBHackers Security | #1 Globally Trusted Cyber Security News Platform .

3. update from bleepingcomputer.com

   White House taps security firms for offensive hack-back operations

   bleepingcomputer.com · 61d ago · August 13th, 2026

   Signed on Wednesday , the national security presidential memorandum (NSPM) enables the NCC (part of the Homeland Security Task Force) to leverage the U.S. "The NSPM directs the Program's Executive Directors and the Homeland Security Council to create rigorous procedures for the review and conduct of these limited cyber operations at the direction of the U.S. Government, ensuring strict compliance with the U.S. Constitution and laws, as well as applicable international agreements," according to a fact sheet published yesterday. "The NSPM establishes a framework where private sector companies that willingly participate in the program are encouraged to enter into agreements with other private entities as well Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial agencies to gather TCO threat information and propose cyber operations that address those threats." The program will be overseen by executive directors designated by the Justice and Homeland Security departments, and security firms participating in the program will undergo vetting before entering into contract

4. update from malware.news

   In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks

   malware.news · 61d ago · August 13th, 2026

   Zack Whittaker reports: The U.S. In a newly published presidential memorandum, the Trump administration said the move will allow the federal government to use “innovative capabilities of the private… Source Article Link: https://databreaches.net/2026/08/13/in-a-first-us-will-allow-some-private-firms-to-carry-out-cyberattacks/

5. update from malware.news

   Trump admin empowers private US firms to go after transnational cybercriminals

   malware.news · 61d ago · August 13th, 2026

   Program executive directors from the departments of Homeland Security and Justice will have the authority to greenlight companies’ cyber operations unless the authorization would result in a loss of life, serious injury or “rise to the level of use of forced or armed attack under international law.” The federal government would vet and conduct oversight of authorized companies, which would need to enter into contractual agreements with either DHS or Justice. The specific standards the government will use to screen the companies will be drafted by the program executive directors — in coordination with the Homeland Security Council — within 60 days of the memo’s signing. They will incl

6. update from cyberscoop.com

   A bold new strategy or a dangerous precedent? Experts are divided on Trump’s memo.

   cyberscoop.com · 61d ago · August 13th, 2026

   A newly-signed presidential memorandum enlisting private sector companies in federal law enforcement hacking operations against criminal organizations could present a number of legal, practical and moral pitfalls, cyber experts told CyberScoop a day after the order was released. While some have celebrated the memo as an overdue maneuver to more aggressively combat cybercriminals, others view it as risky at best and potentially destructive at worst. Supporters, critics and everyone in between also said that how it plays out could be decided in the 60-day timeframe the memo sets to establish the program. But ultimately, “it’s a massive shift in the cyber policy community,” said Michael Garcia, a former top official at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency. “This is a philosophical shift.” The Concerns On the most critical end of the spectrum is security consultant Davi Ottenheimer, who has been a proponent of concepts like “ hack back” or “active defense” that envision a bigger role for the private sector. But he was unsparing in his criticism of the Trump memo. “It’s an embarrassment to America,” he told CyberScoop. “It’s like seeing somebody strapped onto a horse backwards, looking at the wrong end of a rifle.” The Trump memo’s approach has been likened to the “letters of marque” concept used in early U.S. history, when it authorized sea privateers to attack and capture enemy ships and goods on behalf of the country. But Ottenheimer, founder of Ottenheimer GmbH, noted t