The White House is reportedly taking a cautious approach to deploying privateers against North Korean cyber operations, including the notorious Lazarus Group, due to fears of inadvertently escalating tensions into armed conflict. While privateer mandates could target cartels and pig butchering cryptocurrency fraud rings, North Korea presents distinct geopolitical risks. Analyst Giancarlo noted that officials are wary of "backing yourself into a war inadvertently." However, researcher A. Redbord suggested that this threshold could shift if the Lazarus Group continues to escalate its attacks on crypto infrastructure and financial systems.