Crossroads Blog | Institute National Security and Counterterrorism

Criticism, cyber attack, hackback

ISC2: Offensive Cyber Strategies Don’t Make Sense

EWeek reports that a panel of cyber pros debated the effectiveness of offensive security at the International Information Systems Security Consortium (ISC2) last month.  The panel was tasked with discussing the propriety and utility of vigilantism in cyberspace (“hackback,” at a minimum).  For many of the panelists, an offensive approach seemed undesirable.

Adam Meyers, Vice President of intelligence at CrowdStrike believes vigilantism is unlikely to be successful, according to EWeek.

What enterprises need to do is focus on delivering security that is effective.  The way you make it effective is by knowing who is coming after you, how they are coming after you and what they are going to use against you.

Similarly, Hord Tipton, executive director of ISC2 said, “I would be nervous about engaging with an attacker in a retaliatory fashion. . . . You cut off one head and nine grow back.  We have to start out at the defensive end of the skirmish.”

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