Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

To Hack Back Or Not To Hack Back?

Posted by Soulskill on from the wild-wild-cyberwest dept.

dinscott writes "If you think of cyberspace as a resource for you and your organization, it makes sense to protect your part of it as best you can. You build your defenses and train employees to recognize attacks, and you accept the fact that your government is the one that will pursue and prosecute those who try to hack you. But the challenge arises when you (possibly rightfully so) perceive that your government is not able do so, and you demand to be allowed to 'hack back.'"

6 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Bad idea.

    1. Re:No by jellomizer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      For the most part the people who are hacking into you isn't that personal, you are just an open system with the vulnerability. Hacking back will not do too much except for making it personal. If you want to solve the problem you will need to redo your security.

      Besides most hackers will jump from system to system to make it hard to detect. I remember trying to trace a hacker back, I gave up after going into 3 or 4 systems across the globe. Realizing that I could part of the problem not the solution I gave up. And then went on improving security.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:No by stewsters · · Score: 5, Insightful
      This. Working for your business is not worth getting thrown in jail for, and its open season on hackers.

      Some ideas of what you can do:
      • Cleanse anything that goes into a database. Get a model layer that does this for you.
      • You probably don't use UNION or similar keywords but they are used by hackers extensively. We built our own code to search for these keywords and tarpit them.
      • If they are all coming from some small IP block in China, block it. Minimal loss in business.
      • If they are running automated vulnerability scanners, you could add pages to blacklist their hosts as soon as they try to hit default administration pages for wordpress on your site.
      • If its just password guessers, block them. Use ssh keys.
      • Nmap the hosts that are targeting you. Most likely they are someone's compromised windows xp machine.
      • Report them to the FBI: http://itsecurity.vermont.gov/Report_Crime

      If all else fails, go on 4chan and post "OMG i just made the most secure site evar! Address is ${offender's IP} I bet no one can hack my site and take my bitcoins. "

  2. Good thing.. by thisisnotreal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Things like this never escalate. I keep seeing and feeling in so many ways how delicate this all is...and we keep hammering on it. As. Hard. As. Possible.

  3. Vigilantism is not a new concept by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What you're advocating, quite plainly, is that if you break into my house and steal something, that I can then break into your house to take something from you. The law is quite clear on this. As long as hacking into and stealing resources is illegal, you doing the same is just as illegal. Get a Rottweiler and a home alarm and sign up for personalized security patrols. In essence that is what you can do with regards to your electronic resources.

  4. Put it in real life terms by MozeeToby · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Someone breaks into your place of business, what are your rights? You can bar the door, obviously. You physically intimidate them into leaving sure. You can shoot them... well... if you're in danger and can't get away (or even if you can in some places)... and you have the right to own the gun you're shooting... and well, you better be able to explain yourself.

    What you can't do is follow them home and smash their stuff. And you really, really can't start an international incident, that kind of thing is looked down upon.