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The White House issued a presidential memorandum creating a federally supervised program that allows vetted U.S. private companies to support cyber operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. The framework will be managed by the National Coordination Center and jointly overseen by officials designated by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, with participating firms required to contract with DOJ or DHS, disclose relevant commercial ties, and potentially post a $1 million bond or escrow.
The memorandum authorizes both cyber surveillance for covert intelligence collection and cyber effects operations to disrupt, degrade, or destroy criminal infrastructure, but limits activity to non-state criminal groups and requires written government approval, legal review, and multi-agency deconfliction before missions proceed. It also bars operations likely to cause death, serious injury, use of force, or an armed attack under international law, and requires immediate halt-and-report procedures if a U.S. person or domestic system is accidentally affected; agencies were directed to establish operating procedures within 60 days and provide follow-on reporting within 180 days and annually thereafter.
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On August 13, 2026, President Trump signed a national security memorandum establishing a formal program for vetted U.S. cybersecurity firms to conduct government-approved cyber surveillance and cyber effects operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. The memorandum set oversight, approval, vetting, and bonding requirements for participating companies.
On August 12, 2026, the White House issued a presidential memorandum creating a federally supervised program that allows vetted US private companies to conduct cyber surveillance and cyber effects operations against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. The program is to be managed by the National Coordination Center under DOJ and DHS oversight, with written approval, vetting, contracting, and safeguards required for each operation.
In March 2026, the administration first signaled its intent to use private-sector capacity for offensive cyber operations against foreign cybercrime groups through an executive order. The later August memorandum converted that direction into a formal contractor program with explicit authorization for private companies to conduct approved operations.
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A new bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that seeks to establish government-wide processes for attributing and sanctioning foreign hackers responsible for major cyberattacks against the United States. The proposed legislation, known as the Cyber Deterrence and Response Act, would empower the executive branch to formally designate certain foreign entities as 'critical cyber threat actors' and impose a range of sanctions, including asset blocking, financial restrictions, export controls, procurement prohibitions, visa bans, and suspension of assistance. The bill also outlines a framework for attribution, leveraging input from federal cyber agencies and private threat intelligence firms, and is intended to strengthen the government's ability to hold malicious actors accountable and protect critical infrastructure. The legislative push comes amid growing concern in Congress over the increasing sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks targeting U.S. interests, as well as perceived gaps in the nation's ability to deter such threats. The move follows high-profile incidents such as the Salt Typhoon cyberespionage campaign and reflects a broader effort to enhance national cyber defense and response capabilities. Congressional leaders and the Trump administration have emphasized the need for real-time detection and deterrence, with the new bill positioned as a key component of the administration's evolving cyber strategy.
Jun 29, 2026
President Donald Trump released a long-awaited **national cybersecurity strategy** and signed an accompanying **executive order** directing federal agencies to take action against cybercrime and fraud. The strategy is described as deliberately high-level and organized around six pillars: **shaping adversary behavior** (including greater use of U.S. offensive and defensive cyber capabilities and encouraging private-sector disruption of adversary infrastructure), **promoting “common sense” regulation** (criticizing compliance “checklists” and signaling interest in liability discussions), **modernizing and securing federal networks**, **securing critical infrastructure**, **sustaining superiority in critical and emerging technologies**, and **building cyber talent and capacity**. Multiple reports highlight the strategy’s shift toward a more **direct, “gloves-off” posture** in responding to adversarial cyber threats, with the White House framing it as a recalibration toward more forceful action against actors targeting U.S. networks. The document also ties cyber operations to broader national objectives, explicitly referencing recent administration actions (including operations linked to Iran and Venezuela) as examples of a willingness to use cyber capabilities in support of national missions, while also emphasizing emerging technologies (including **AI**) and workforce development as key enablers of the strategy’s goals.
Jun 29, 2026
The White House issued **National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 (`NSPM-11`)** directing U.S. defense, intelligence, and homeland security agencies to accelerate adoption of advanced artificial intelligence across national security missions while cutting bureaucratic barriers to deployment. The policy applies to agencies including the **FBI, CIA, DHS, and ODNI** and is organized around four pillars: **adoption, adaptation, assurance, and accountability**. It calls for broader use of commercial and open-source AI models, reduced dependence on any single vendor, and expanded collaboration with private-sector and academic experts, while requiring AI use to remain secure, reliable, controllable, and consistent with constitutional command structures and civil liberties protections. The memorandum sets 90- and 120-day deadlines for agencies to update procurement, governance, testing, workforce development, and autonomous weapons policies, and it establishes an **AI National Security Strategic Reserve** of outside experts. It also orders baseline security standards for high-security national security AI systems and joint AI data and model exchanges, while directing agencies and vendors to harden frontier models, supporting infrastructure, and data centers against **cyberespionage, theft, cyberattacks, supply-chain risks, and malicious distillation attacks**. The move follows an earlier executive order that created a voluntary federal review framework for advanced AI systems before public release.
Jun 29, 2026