White House deploys private companies to help crack down on cybercrime
The white house plans to collaborate with vetted private companies in the United States to combat cybersecurity breaches caused by transnational criminal organizations. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum directing his administration to involve the private sector in the country’s cyber offensive efforts against foreign threats. This initiative aims to enhance national security by leveraging private companies for cyber surveillance and operations against cybercriminal groups, overseen by officials from the Department of Justice and Homeland Security.Participating companies will undergo rigorous vetting and operate under strict federal supervision. The focus areas include ransomware, phishing, financial fraud, sextortion, and impersonation scams, which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations like seniors, children, and low-income individuals.This move reflects a broader effort to address the rising tide of foreign cyber-enabled crimes, which caused Americans to lose over $20 billion in the previous year. The program’s specific participants are yet to be announced.
The White House intends to use private companies in the United States to help crack down on cybersecurity breaches perpetrated by transnational criminal organizations.
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Wednesday, directing his administration to employ the private sector in the nation’s escalating cyber offensive against foreign threats.
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“By partnering with vetted United States companies subject to the direction and oversight of the Federal Government, we will enhance our ability to counter TCO threats and combat transnational cybercrime, fraud, and other predatory schemes against American citizens,” the national security presidential memorandum states.
The official document tasks the Homeland Security Task Force’s National Coordination Center with creating a program to enlist companies for “cyber surveillance operations” and “cyber effects operations” against foreign cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations. To participate in the program, private companies will enter into contractual agreements with the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security.
The companies will “undergo rigorous vetting” as they conduct limited cyber operations at the behest of the federal government, according to the memo.
The cyber operations will be overseen by two co-executive directors, one from the DOJ and another from DHS. Any actions the companies take will be exclusively conducted under the federal government’s supervision.
It remains to be seen which organizations will participate in the Trump administration’s cybersecurity efforts.
A fact sheet for the memo lists ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns, financial fraud, sextortion schemes, and impersonation scams as areas of focus. These types of cyberattacks disproportionately target senior citizens, children, and low-income families living in the U.S.
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Trump’s move shows his administration is aggressively combating foreign cyber-enabled crimes, which are on the rise.
American consumers lost more than $20.8 billion to cyber-enabled crime last year, according to the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report. In 2024, total losses stemming from cyber-enabled crime amounted to roughly $16.6 billion.
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