President Trump authorizes ‘offensive cyber operations’ to deter foreign adversaries, National Security Adviser Bolton says

The White House has “authorized offensive cyber operations” against US adversaries, in line with a new policy that eases the rules on the use of digital weapons to protect the nation, said National Security Adviser John Bolton. “Our hands are not tied as they were in the Obama administration,” Bolton said when unveiling a new national cyber strategy. He did not elaborate on the nature of the offensive operations or what specific malign behavior they were intended to counter. The Trump administration remains focused on foreign governments’ attempts to target US networks as well as potentially interfere in Nov’s election. The strategy incorporates a new presidential directive that replaced one from the Obama administration, said Bolton. The new national security presidential memorandum, NSPM 13, allows the military and other agencies to undertake cyber operations to protect their systems and the nation’s critical networks from attacks from hostile foreign adversaries. Bolton said the Administration was committed to preserving "the long-term openness, interoperability and security and reliability of the internet."