Private firms get a federal license to break into foreign scam networks
President Donald Trump signed a memo on August 12 that gave a green light to vetted US companies to hack foreign criminal networks.
That includes the crypto scam operations that fleeced Americans out of billions last year. The leash is held by federal agencies.
Vetted companies get an offensive role
The memorandum directs the work to go through the National Coordination Center, which is part of the Homeland Security Task Force.
The Center must create a program for approved firms, the memo’s “Participating Companies,” to carry out what it terms Cyber Surveillance Operations and Cyber Effects Operations against foreign Cyber-Enabled Transnational Criminal Organizations.
The attorney general and the homeland security secretary will lead the effort. Companies must enter into contracts with the Justice Department or DHS, undergo vetting, and work only as directed by the government.
The targets are foreign criminal groups, not foreign governments. Any operation involving a US person brings additional legal scrutiny, including from the Justice Department.
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