--- title: Private security firms will soon be allowed to hack... description: A National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by President Trump directs the National Coordination Center, under the Homeland Security Task Force, to... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/private-security-firms-will-soon-be-allowed-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals-gipsx0gyv twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Private security firms will soon be allowed to hack overseas cybercriminals | daily.dev og:description: A National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by President Trump directs the National Coordination Center, under the Homeland Security Task Force, to... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/private-security-firms-will-soon-be-allowed-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals-gipsx0gyv og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/GipSx0Gyv.png og:image:alt: Private security firms will soon be allowed to hack overseas cybercriminals og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Private security firms will soon be allowed to hack overseas cybercriminals **[Ars Technica](https://daily.dev/sources/arstechnica)** · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by President Trump directs the National Coordination Center, under the Homeland Security Task Force, to develop a program letting private security firms conduct government-authorized offensive cyber operations against foreign transnational criminal organizations. Targets include ransomware, sextortion, phishing, financial fraud, and impersonation scams. The memo permits spyware use and potentially destructive attacks including encryption-based lockouts and DDoS, marking the first time the US government has authorized private companies to hack overseas criminals without court approval. Oversight falls to the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, though operational details remain undefined. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Can private security companies in the US legally hack foreign cybercriminals now? Yes, under a National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by President Trump, private security firms can be authorized by the federal government to conduct offensive cyber operations, including surveillance and attacks, against foreign transnational criminal organizations engaged in cyber-enabled crime. This marks the first time the government has permitted private-sector offensive hacking against overseas criminals without prior court authorization. _security teams tracking legal boundaries around offensive operations can follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### What types of cybercrime does the new US government program targeting transnational criminal organizations cover? The program covers ransomware, sextortion schemes, phishing campaigns, financial fraud, and impersonation scams committed by foreign groups against US persons, organizations, or government entities. The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security oversee the effort, run through the National Coordination Center under the Homeland Security Task Force. _daily.dev helps security practitioners stay current on evolving cybercrime response policy._ ### What kinds of offensive cyber attacks might private firms be allowed to use under the new US transnational crime memo? The memo does not rule out destructive attacks, including ones that use encryption to lock targets out of their networks, denial-of-service attacks, or spyware deployment against foreign cyber-enabled criminal organizations. Previously, US private companies were barred from taking such offensive actions without court-authorized approval. _following policy changes like this on daily.dev helps security pros anticipate shifts in offensive cyber authority._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks](https://daily.dev/posts/in-a-first-us-will-allow-some-private-firms-to-carry-out-cyberattacks-amiaryn9n) · TechCrunch · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The Line Between Defense and Offense Just Moved. Here’s What Comes Next.](https://daily.dev/posts/the-line-between-defense-and-offense-just-moved-here-s-what-comes-next--qlgswupzt) · Arctic Wolf · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [You don’t have to join the hack-back program to inherit its risk](https://daily.dev/posts/you-don-t-have-to-join-the-hack-back-program-to-inherit-its-risk-ebfnt2nye) · CSO Online · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Schneier on Security](https://daily.dev/posts/schneier-on-security-3kqbf95kf) · Schneier on Security · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Take fight to the enemy, US cyber boss says](https://daily.dev/posts/take-fight-to-the-enemy-us-cyber-boss-says-zwxklgbol) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#ransomware](https://daily.dev/tags/ransomware), [#offensive-security](https://daily.dev/tags/offensive-security) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/private-security-firms-will-soon-be-allowed-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals-gipsx0gyv) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Private security firms will soon be allowed to hack overseas cybercriminals","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/private-security-firms-will-soon-be-allowed-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals-gipsx0gyv","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/private-security-firms-will-soon-be-allowed-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals-gipsx0gyv"},"datePublished":"2026-08-13T19:46:58.695Z","dateModified":"2026-08-14T07:20:44.951Z","description":"A National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by President Trump directs the National Coordination Center, under the Homeland Security Task Force, to...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/e5430aaf91f34d0d28884477e8fb6138?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/e5430aaf91f34d0d28884477e8fb6138?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Ars Technica","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Ars Technica","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/80883e0e48a34b5ebcf93777016cb3fe","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/arstechnica"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/private-security-firms-will-soon-be-allowed-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals-gipsx0gyv","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"ransomware,offensive-security","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ars Technica","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/arstechnica"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Private security firms will soon be allowed to hack overseas cybercriminals"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/private-security-firms-will-soon-be-allowed-to-hack-overseas-cybercriminals-gipsx0gyv#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can private security companies in the US legally hack foreign cybercriminals now?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, under a National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by President Trump, private security firms can be authorized by the federal government to conduct offensive cyber operations, including surveillance and attacks, against foreign transnational criminal organizations engaged in cyber-enabled crime. 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