The Trump administration plans to spend $1 billion over the next four years on what is called “offensive cyber operations.”
The provisions of one big, beautiful bill, a Trump landmark, have not said what these “offensive cyber operations” are, nor do they say that certain tools and software qualify. The budget focuses on the cost of improving and improving the capacity of the US Pacific Command, which operates in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, the US’s biggest geopolitical rival.
The move to spend 1 billion on cyber comes as the US faces an ongoing cyber threat from China, as newly passed laws also cut 1 billion from the US cyber defense budget.
Sen. Ron Wyden, a longtime member of the Senate Intelligence Email Committee, said the provisions also came as the Trump administration cut funding for its defense cybersecurity program, including taking away the CISA and its budgets of the US cybersecurity agency. The cuts have only returned in part after federal court ruled the termination of 130 employees was illegal.
“The Trump administration cut cybersecurity and government technology funding, leaving our country wide open to attacks by foreign hackers,” Wyden said in an emailed statement to TechCrunch. “A significant expansion of US government hacking would invite retaliation not only for federal agencies, but also local governments, local governments and private companies that have not had a chance against national-state hackers.”
Offensive cyber manipulation can explain a wide range of target hacks against US enemies. This includes using zero-day exploits. This allows for deployment of spyware that operators can use to steal data from unknown software or people that can be hacked to the target device.
However, these operations can also include more routine components needed to support these operations, such as setting up the infrastructure needed to carry out cyberattacks, and intelligence collection such as collecting and purchasing internet traffic (called “Netflow”).
A White House and Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed the receipt but did not respond to requests for comment.
