US cyber chief defends plan to let firms hack criminals
National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross says a vetted program letting companies disrupt foreign cybercrime gangs is not the "Wild West".
By Lena Hart · Published · Updated · 4 min read
The US National Cyber Director, Sean Cairncross, has defended the government's plan to let private companies hack foreign cybercrime gangs, Cybersecurity Dive reports.
The program
- President Trump announced it in August.
- The Justice Department and Homeland Security will vet companies' proposals to disrupt foreign gangs' computer systems.
- The government will oversee operations, make sure they do not clash with military or intelligence activity, and check they follow US law.
"We're not talking about letters of marque. We're not talking about the Wild West," Cairncross said. "This is a very specific program, overseen by the government."
The concerns
Experts say it is unclear whether the program will meaningfully increase disruption of cybercrime. Some companies may join to win future contracts; others may stay away for fear of retaliation or accidentally hitting a foreign government's systems.
Why it matters
So-called "hack back" has long been illegal for US companies. Even a supervised version is a major shift, and how it handles mistakes — such as attacking the wrong server — will decide whether it helps or harms.
Cairncross's other message
He also urged organizations to focus on security basics: patching, strong authentication and backups still stop most attacks.
