Trump administration isn\u2019t pushing companies to conduct cyber offense, national cyber director says | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross clarifies that the Trump administration seeks private sector partnership for threat intelligence, not offensive "hacking back" campaigns.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/national-cyber-strategy-private-sector-offensive-operations-sean-cairncross\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump administration isn\u2019t pushing companies to conduct cyber offense, national cyber director says\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross clarifies that the Trump administration seeks private sector partnership for threat intelligence, not offensive "hacking back" campaigns.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" 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fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.580260303688\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"34.708520179372\">\n<p> Sean Cairncross said the idea rather is to collaborate with the private sector in a way that helps the U.S. government take the battle to its adversaries. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/88262\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"523\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says.jpg?resize=640%2C523&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says-2.jpg 1915w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says-2.jpg?resize=300,245 300w, 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https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says-2.jpg?resize=412,337 412w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says-2.jpg?resize=826,675 826w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says-2.jpg?resize=1032,843 1032w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 826px) 100vw, 826px\"><figcaption> (Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"28.5\"><body readability=\"60.785589366912\"><\/p>\n<p>National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said Tuesday that the Trump administration isn\u2019t aspiring to enlist the private sector to conduct offensive cyber operations, but instead to help the government by keeping them abreast of the threats they\u2019re facing.<\/p>\n<p>The recently-released <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/trump-cybersecurity-strategy\/\">national cyber strategy<\/a> talks about incentivizing companies to disrupt the networks of adversaries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not talking about the private sector, industry or companies engaging in a cyber offensive campaign,\u201d Cairncross said at an event hosted by Auburn University\u2019s McCrary Institute. \u201cWhat I\u2019m talking about are the technical capabilities, the ability of our private sector to illuminate the battlefield from what they\u2019re seeing, to inform and share information so that the USG [U.S. government] can respond to get ahead of things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The idea of enabling U.S. companies to undertake disruptive or offensive campaigns against malicious hackers, or to at least aid in U.S. government offensive operations, has regained currency in some GOP circles in recent years. Some companies have shown an interest in doing so, especially if laws are changed to make it more viable.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That trend coincides with growing calls from Trump administration officials \u2014 and now the release of the cybersecurity strategy \u2014 to go on the offense against hackers, although Cairncross emphasized again that the strategy pillar to \u201cshape adversary behavior\u201d isn\u2019t just about conducting cyber offensive campaigns, but to use other government mechanisms to put pressure on hackers, be they legal or diplomatic.<\/p>\n<p>The government can go about shaping the \u201crisk calculus\u201d \u201cin a more agile fashion\u201d with private sector help, he said.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s an enormous amount of capability on the private sector side, and now we have a spear from the United States government\u2026 we are looking for real partnership,\u201d Cairncross said.<\/p>\n<p>One way the U.S. government has sought to bring the fight to cyber adversaries is the FBI\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/brett-leatherman-fbi-cyber-priorities-winter-shield\/\">\u201cjoint sequenced operations,\u201d<\/a> used to degrade their capabilities. Speaking at the same event, the head of the bureau\u2019s cyber division said the private sector was key to those operations as well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery one of the joint sequenced operations that the FBI conducts to remove that capacity and capability that I talked about \u2014 from the Russians, from the Chinese, from the Iranians and others \u2014 happens because a victim came forward and engaged the FBI,\u201d said Brett Leatherman.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cOne takeaway for everybody here is \u2018What is your game plan in the event of a breach to engage your local FBI field office?\u2019\u201d he asked. \u201cI would proffer there\u2019s very little liability in doing so, and we\u2019re happy to have conversations with your outside or inside counsel, but there\u2019s a tremendous amount to be gained by doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div 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{"id":8438,"date":"2026-03-17T15:16:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T20:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=88262"},"modified":"2026-03-17T15:16:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T20:16:39","slug":"trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/17\/trump-administration-isnt-pushing-companies-to-conduct-cyber-offense-national-cyber-director-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump administration isn\u2019t pushing companies to conduct cyber offense, national cyber director says"},"content":{"rendered":"