Trump authorises cyber operations against foreign criminal networks

US President Donald Trump has signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) expanding the federal government’s ability to use cyber capabilities against transnational criminal organisations operating from abroad, the White House said on August 12.

The memorandum directs the National Coordination Center (NCC) of the Homeland Security Task Force to establish a programme for conducting targeted cyber operations designed to disrupt foreign-based criminal groups that attack Americans.

The programme will be overseen by executive directors from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

Under the new framework, the US government will also work with vetted private-sector companies to identify threats and develop proposed cyber operations. Participating firms may enter agreements with private entities as well as federal, state, local, tribal and territorial authorities to share information on criminal networks.

The White House said all operations will remain under the direction, control and authority of the US government. It added that the programme’s leadership and the Homeland Security Council will establish procedures to ensure that operations comply with the US Constitution, US law and applicable international agreements.

The move comes as US authorities confront a growing range of cyber-enabled crimes linked to organised criminal groups operating outside the country. These include ransomware, phishing, financial fraud, sextortion and impersonation scams.

According to the White House, American consumers reported more than $20.8 billion in losses from cyber-enabled crime in 2025. It said older people, children and low-income families are particularly vulnerable to such schemes.

The administration also cited data indicating that 73% of US adults have experienced some form of online scam or attack, while 98% of Americans consider scams a threat to people in the country.

The White House framed the new programme as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to strengthen the US response to cybercrime and online exploitation. In May 2025, Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act, targeting the non-consensual distribution of intimate images and deepfake material. The White House said the first conviction under the law was secured in April 2026.

Trump also signed an executive order on cybersecurity in June 2025 and another executive order in March 2026 focused on cybercrime, fraud and predatory schemes targeting American families, businesses and critical infrastructure. In June 2026, he signed a further NSPM aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity of US national security systems.

The latest memorandum represents a further step towards involving private-sector cyber capabilities in government-led efforts against criminal networks abroad. At the same time, the White House stressed that any operations conducted under the programme will be subject to legal and constitutional safeguards.

The administration said the initiative is intended to give US authorities additional tools to disrupt criminal organisations before their activities cause further harm to Americans, regardless of where those organisations are based.

By Aghakazim Guliyev