Earlier this year, a bill was proposed by GOP congressman Tom Graves. In light of the recent cyber-attacks flooding the world, Graves is orchestrating a call to action in the form “revenge” hacking. In other words, if a user becomes the victim of a cyber-attack they will legally have the right to hack the attacker back. Some are arguing that the bill would be pointless. It could tempt currently operating hackers to launch even more cyber-attacks.
Knowledge might be free, but many online users see the term “hacking” as something complex and unachievable by normal means. Users might be surprised at how easy it is to access information and tutorials on different types of cyber-attacks. The chances of the bill being passed are low. However, word is still travelling at the speed of light across the virtual world.
Still, the online community feels more threatened at the idea of any form of cyber-attack being legal – even revenge hacking.
Naked Security, a blog dedicated to security news, argues that the bill could help more than it could hinder:
“For years, this has frustrated companies and victims that wanted to hack back. That could entail, for example, identifying and crippling computers behind a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, or perhaps launching an attack from servers situated offshore.”
The optimal outcome would be users hacking back; ultimately exposing the attackers. The official proposal states:
“To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a defense to prosecution for fraud and related activity in connection with computers for persons defending against unauthorized intrusions into their computers, and for other purposes.”
Chances of the bill passing are extremely low. Those chances might increase as more cyber-attacks are orchestrated and more losses occur. The online community can only hope for the best, but they should still prepare for the worst.