--- title: White House Authorizes Private Companies to Conduct... description: A new White House presidential memorandum creates a federal program allowing vetted U.S. cybersecurity companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/white-house-authorizes-private-companies-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-operations-9jiq6bdqh twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: White House Authorizes Private Companies to Conduct Offensive Cyber Operations | daily.dev og:description: A new White House presidential memorandum creates a federal program allowing vetted U.S. cybersecurity companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/white-house-authorizes-private-companies-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-operations-9jiq6bdqh og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/9jIq6bdQH.png og:image:alt: White House Authorizes Private Companies to Conduct Offensive Cyber Operations 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. # White House Authorizes Private Companies to Conduct Offensive Cyber Operations **[Socket](https://daily.dev/sources/socketdev)** · 9 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A new White House presidential memorandum creates a federal program allowing vetted U.S. cybersecurity companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against foreign cybercrime groups under DOJ and DHS direction. Two categories of activity are authorized: cyber surveillance operations (covert intelligence gathering) and cyber effects operations (disrupting, degrading, or destroying criminal infrastructure). Companies must join the program, operate under contract, get written approval for every operation, undergo vetting, and may need to post a $1 million bond. Security researchers including Robert Graham, Kevin Beaumont, and Jason Kikta raised concerns about legal ambiguity under 18 U.S.C. §1030(f), incentive conflicts for firms that profit from ransomware, and coordination risks with foreign law enforcement investigations. DOJ and DHS have 60 days to set operating procedures, with a status report due in 180 days. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What does the new White House memorandum allow private cybersecurity companies to do? It authorizes vetted U.S. cybersecurity firms to conduct offensive cyber operations against foreign cybercrime groups under DOJ and DHS direction. Two categories are permitted: cyber surveillance operations (covertly accessing systems to collect intelligence) and cyber effects operations (disrupting, degrading, or destroying criminal infrastructure). Every operation requires written government approval, and companies must join a federal program and operate under a DOJ or DHS contract. _Security teams tracking policy shifts that affect incident response follow developments like this on daily.dev._ ### What legal uncertainty exists around private companies hacking back under government direction? No court has addressed whether 18 U.S.C. §1030(f) protects private companies conducting cyber operations on behalf of the government, according to a March analysis by former DOJ prosecutor Aaron Cooper and attorneys Philip Chertoff and Shoba Pillay. The memorandum places participating companies under federal control and cites §1030 but does not amend the law or clarify protection under foreign computer-crime statutes. _Developers and security leads weighing legal exposure in offensive security work can track this story on daily.dev._ ### What financial safeguards does the government require from companies conducting offensive cyber operations? DOJ and DHS may require participating companies to maintain a bond or escrow of at least $1 million that can be forfeited for violating their contract. Companies also undergo technical, personnel, facility, and security vetting, and must stop and report any operation that moves beyond its approved target or scope. _Anyone evaluating how new cybercrime contracting rules affect security vendors can follow updates on daily.dev._ ## 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/white-house-authorizes-private-companies-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-operations-9jiq6bdqh) ```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":"White House Authorizes Private Companies to Conduct Offensive Cyber Operations","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/white-house-authorizes-private-companies-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-operations-9jiq6bdqh","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/white-house-authorizes-private-companies-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-operations-9jiq6bdqh"},"datePublished":"2026-08-14T07:19:54.829Z","dateModified":"2026-08-14T07:20:46.245Z","description":"A new White House presidential memorandum creates a federal program allowing vetted U.S. cybersecurity companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/d0fbce3aa972947fedc53aab1a9b65b8?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/d0fbce3aa972947fedc53aab1a9b65b8?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Socket","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":"Socket","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s---oEn9czC--/f_auto/v1716187892/logos/socketdev","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/socketdev"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/white-house-authorizes-private-companies-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-operations-9jiq6bdqh","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"ransomware,offensive-security","timeRequired":"PT9M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Socket","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/socketdev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"White House Authorizes Private Companies to Conduct Offensive Cyber Operations"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/white-house-authorizes-private-companies-to-conduct-offensive-cyber-operations-9jiq6bdqh#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does the new White House memorandum allow private cybersecurity companies to do?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It authorizes vetted U.S. cybersecurity firms to conduct offensive cyber operations against foreign cybercrime groups under DOJ and DHS direction. Two categories are permitted: cyber surveillance operations (covertly accessing systems to collect intelligence) and cyber effects operations (disrupting, degrading, or destroying criminal infrastructure). Every operation requires written government approval, and companies must join a federal program and operate under a DOJ or DHS contract. Security teams tracking policy shifts that affect incident response follow developments like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What legal uncertainty exists around private companies hacking back under government direction?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No court has addressed whether 18 U.S.C. §1030(f) protects private companies conducting cyber operations on behalf of the government, according to a March analysis by former DOJ prosecutor Aaron Cooper and attorneys Philip Chertoff and Shoba Pillay. The memorandum places participating companies under federal control and cites §1030 but does not amend the law or clarify protection under foreign computer-crime statutes. Developers and security leads weighing legal exposure in offensive security work can track this story on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What financial safeguards does the government require from companies conducting offensive cyber operations?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"DOJ and DHS may require participating companies to maintain a bond or escrow of at least $1 million that can be forfeited for violating their contract. Companies also undergo technical, personnel, facility, and security vetting, and must stop and report any operation that moves beyond its approved target or scope. Anyone evaluating how new cybercrime contracting rules affect security vendors can follow updates on daily.dev."}}]} ```