Trump Authorizes Vetted U.S. Firms to Disrupt Foreign Cybercrime Groups as Losses Hit $20.9 Billion
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 22
Trump Authorizes Vetted U.S. Firms to Disrupt Foreign Cybercrime Groups as Losses Hit $20.9 Billion
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 22
Summary
A National Security Presidential Memorandum signed earlier this month lets vetted U.S. companies conduct government-directed cyber operations against certain foreign criminal groups, including covert intelligence collection and system disruption.
The move follows 1,008,597 FBI cybercrime complaints in 2025 and $20.877 billion in reported losses, up 26% from 2024, as officials cite ransomware, phishing and AI-enabled impersonation scams.
Federal control is central: companies must contract with DOJ or DHS, win written approval before acting, and may have to post a bond or escrow account of at least $1 million.
Targets are limited to foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations, not entities that are part of or wholly directed by foreign governments, and operations must stop if they unintentionally hit U.S. persons or U.S.-based systems.
The framework is not yet operational—DOJ and DHS have 60 days from Aug. 12 to write procedures, with a White House status report due within 180 days.