Xygh Offense vs Defense

Going on the offensive in response to a cyber-attack

• General questions: What can a counter-attack accomplish? Are there ways to reduce the collateral damage? In what situations is this an appropriate response?

• What kinds of offensive measures are available? Are they feasible? What are the effects of these attacks? Examples:
  • Trace-back to identify the source of an attack (requires hacking into third-party machines)
  • White worms to neutralize compromised hosts, e.g., Tim Mullen's strikeback idea
  • DDOS for retaliation (is this ever a good idea?)
  • Other possibilities...?

• Legal issues
  • Are there legal principles or precedents (e.g., self-defense) that could justify a counter-attack?
  • Legal framework: When is a counter-attack permissible? Who is allowed to do it? Do they need to collect evidence or document their actions?
  • See Karnow's notes