President Donald Trump has given American companies the green light to conduct offensive cyber operations against criminal hackers, according to a directive that represents a significant shift in US cybersecurity policy. The move brings the United States closer to the model employed by China and Russia, where intelligence agencies have long leveraged private-sector hacking capabilities for national security missions.
The policy change effectively deputises corporate America in the fight against cybercrime, allowing companies to go beyond defensive measures and actively target the infrastructure of criminal networks that attack them. Proponents argue that the approach provides much-needed agility in responding to fast-moving cyber threats.
However, the directive has raised concerns among legal experts and civil liberties advocates, who warn that authorising private entities to conduct offensive cyber operations could lead to unintended escalation, collateral damage, and a blurring of the line between corporate security and state-sponsored hacking activities.
