Trump administration enlists private companies to fight cyberattacks

In a first for the United States, the White House is looking to build an army of private hackers to combat cyberattacks. Outlined in a new presidential memoranda issued Aug. 12, the Trump administration will begin contracting out efforts to curb the actions of transnational criminal organizations (or TCOs) to American businesses. "American businesses’ innovative capabilities have historically been underutilized in efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks operating in cyberspace," the order reads. "It is the policy of the United States to use all instruments of national power, including the innovative capabilities of the private sector, to combat cybercrime." The new program will be overseen by Trump's National Coordination Center (NCC). The center, in coordination with the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, will vet and authorize businesses to conduct cyber surveillance and effects operations, the White House explains. These "private sector entities" will the enter contractual agreements with the federal government, granting them access to relevant information from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies to pinpoint threats and propo