On August 17, 2026, an event occurred in Washington that experts are calling a turning point in the history of global cybersecurity. US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum officially tasking the National Coordination Center (NCC) with creating a unique program. Its essence lies in engaging private technology companies in conducting offensive cyber operations against foreign criminal organizations. This step marks a transition from passive defense to the aggressive use of private resources to combat transnational cybercrime.

Mechanics of State Control and Private Initiative

The new document clearly delineates the roles of the state and business. Private companies will have the opportunity to submit proposals to the authorities for limited operations, however, the right to independent action is not transferred to them. All operations will be conducted exclusively on the instruction and under the strict control of the US government. The program provides for close cooperation between private contractors and federal, regional, and local agencies to gather intelligence on threats and prepare detailed attack plans.

Program management has been entrusted to executive directors appointed by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Before concluding contracts, companies must undergo strict vetting. The memorandum establishes strict boundaries: all actions must comply with the US Constitution, federal laws, and the country's international obligations. In the event of a breach of contract terms, including exceeding approved limits or accidentally affecting US citizens' systems, the company is obligated to immediately cease operations and notify the NCC.

Financial Guarantees and Targeted Threats

To minimize risks and ensure participant accountability, the memorandum introduces a requirement for a financial bond. Participating companies are required to maintain funds in an escrow account of at least $1 million. These funds may be confiscated in the event of a breach of contract terms. The White House states that the program is aimed at combating specific types of threats: ransomware attacks, phishing, financial fraud, sextortion, and impersonation schemes.

Statistics cited by US authorities highlight the scale of the problem. In 2025 alone, US residents reported losses exceeding $20.8 billion from crimes using cyber technology. These figures were the catalyst for adopting such radical measures, designed not only to protect but also to deliver preemptive strikes against the infrastructure of criminal gangs.

Contradictory Data

The expert community is divided in its assessment of the initiative. Veracode co-founder Chris Wysopal called the memorandum a significant change in US cybersecurity policy, noting that this is an inevitable expansion of the private sector's role in offensive operations. He believes that state resources cannot cope with the volume of threats, and engaging the industry is the only way to buy time.

However, former head of the Cyber National Mission Force, Jason Kikta, expressed a sharply different point of view. He characterized the initiative as a "perpetual motion machine for billing threats." Critics fear that the program could lead to the commercialization of cyberwarfare, where the boundaries between defense and aggression will blur, and private corporations will gain access to tools previously available only to intelligence agencies.