The US gov wants to enlist private companies to do offensive cyber work

The US government published a directive to allow vetted private companies to run offensive cyber operations against foreign threat actors under the control of the US government.

In a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) published late Wednesday, August 12, Trump laid out a new program that enlists US companies to combat cyber crime perpetrated by what the memorandum calls Transnational Criminal Organisations (TCOs).

"By partnering with vetted U.S. companies, we will enhance our ability to counter TCO threats and combat transnational cybercrime, fraud, and other predatory schemes against American citizens," the White House said.

The document defines cyber-enabled TCOs as any foreign group that commits cyber crimes against the US government, people or US interests, and is not part of a foreign government. The memorandum notes the US will not assume TCOs are run by nation states unless there is "clear intelligence" of the connection.

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A presidential memorandum is a set of directions from the president to manage the executive branch. In this case, the NSPM is ordering the National Coordination Center (NCC), the operational hub of the Homeland Security Task Force, to establish a new program where companies from the private sector work under the US government to disrupt these foreign cyber threat groups.