Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on Tuesday is expected to propose that Congress should consider allowing companies to “hack back” at digital attackers following a cyberattack, a divisive concept in the cybersecurity community.
Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, says the idea is worth considering because hacking back can help prevent foreign actors from carrying out cyberattacks against U.S. entities.
“We ought to think hard about how and when to license hack-back authority so capable, responsible private-sector actors can deter foreign aggression,” according to Whitehouse’s prepared opening remarks, which he is expected to deliver Tuesday afternoon during at a cyber-focused subcommittee hearing.
