Trump Lets Firms Hack Foreign Cybercriminals

“The Trump administration is encouraging American companies to conduct their own cyberattacks against criminal hackers, a move that White House officials say will help address digital scourges like ransomware but that some former officials and security experts warn could lead to chaos,” the New York Times reports.

“Under a national security memorandum that President Trump signed late Wednesday, select companies would work with the Justice and Homeland Security Departments to strike foreign cybercriminal groups with hacks under certain conditions. The attacks would allow both surveillance of the criminal networks and specific types of hacking operations that could lead to disruption, manipulation or destruction of information systems and networks, including virtual and physical infrastructure.”