AC/DC's "Back in Black" album has sold more than 40 million copies and downloads. According to VH1, it is the highest selling hard rock album of all time.
If "Back in Black" was so popular, what about an updated album titled 
"Hackin' Back," created by the ACDC in Congress. Would you download this one?
This time, ACDC stands for the Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act. It will allow InfoSec to legally hack back against bad actors.
H.R. 4036 - the Hack Back Amendment
The bill is a proposed amendment to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), and it proposes to let business do a number of things, shielded from criminal charges. Among them:
- Follow the digital breadcrumbs to find the bad actor and establish attack attribution
- Interrupt and stop cyber attacks as long as you don't damage the hacker's network or computers
- Retrieve and/or destroy files the hacker stole from your company
- Electronically watch and monitor the attacker
We're not sure if the ACDC proposal in Congress will be quite as popular as the rock album. But we see it's already stirring up strong opinions and commentary which are interesting to read.
Hack back act's authors on why it is necessary
And as you're debating the idea of legal hacking back in your head, consider the following from the ACDC act's authors in Congress:
"As a result of the unique nature of cybercrime, it is very difficult for law enforcement to respond to and prosecute cybercrime in a timely manner, leading to the existing low level of deterrence and a rapidly growing threat. In 2015, the Department of Justice prosecuted only 153 cases of computer fraud. Congress determines that this status quo is unacceptable and that if left unchecked, the trend in cybercrime will only continue to deteriorate."
Is this an idea whose time has finally come? Maybe you want to put in your headphones and listen to "Back in Black" while you think about it.
SecureWorld looks forward to hearing your opinion in the comments below.
