{
  "id": 1745206,
  "title": "The White House wants private companies to hack cybercriminals. What could go wrong?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/the-white-house-wants-private-companies-to-hack-cybercriminals-what",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-18T15:54:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91590550/private-companies-hack-cybercriminals-white-house"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Last week, the White House issued a presidential memorandum that enables vetted private companies to conduct cyberattacks against hacker groups. This policy reversal marks a significant shift from previous government restrictions, which prohibited companies from engaging in such actions without court approval. The memorandum emphasizes the innovative capabilities of the private sector in combating cybercrime and encourages the utilization of all instruments of national power to achieve this goal.\n\nHowever, the memorandum raises numerous questions that have yet to be addressed, such as the legal protections afforded to these companies. For instance, what happens if a participant is arrested by a foreign government during a cyberattack? The memorandum offers little in the way of legal shields and does not explicitly grant private-sector firms special rights. Cybersecurity experts argue that such ambiguity could put participants at risk, as foreign governments may still consider their actions as crimes.\n\nThe memo does not provide clarity on the specific roles involved in these cyberattacks either. Will it be private company employees or government officials conducting the operations? The lack of clarity in this area could lead to unforeseen operational risks. Moreover, the interagency approval process required by the memo may not be as swift as private-sector counterparts, potentially hampering response times.\n\nWhile there are potential advantages to leveraging the private sector, such as enhanced visibility and speed, there are also significant risks. Private companies may inadvertently jeopardize broader intelligence operations due to their limited understanding of the broader context of the attacks. Additionally, the broader fear is that increased sanctioned hacking could lead to an escalation in global cyberwarfare, with potential retaliation from adversaries. While the White House memo offers a starting point, it is not a panacea for addressing the complex legal and operational challenges associated with private-sector cyberattacks.",
  "summary": "The White House last week made some drastic changes to federal hacking policy, issuing a presidential memorandum that allows vetted private companies to initiate cyberattacks against hacker groups. The announcement reversed previous government policy, which prohibited companies from doing so without a court’s approval. “American businesses’ innovative capabilities have historically been…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}