Issuing letters of marque and reprisal against foreign hackers.

[nvflash]

Traditionally letters of marque and reprisal have been used to enable privateers or pirates to seize or sink navy vessels, but I don't see any reason why it couldn't enable paramilitary forces or bounty hunters from capturing or killing hackers that do damage to the US or our alias that maybe beyond the ability or jurisdiction of our law enforcement.

In this age we know that Russian State cutout operations are doing damage to our nation through hacking attacks, yet Russia denies any involvement, and these hackers are all too often beyond the reach of our law enforcement. Also, China is constantly involved in corporate hacking attacks against US based corporations, yet the State denies any involvement, and the hackers are all too often beyond the reach of our law enforcement.

Is it time to put a kill, capture, or rendition bounty on these hackers in the form of an official letter of marque and reprisal from the US Congress?

I'm sure China, Russia, or any other State would object as a violation of their citizens or sovereignty, but they can't have it both ways, either they are not involved and they can turn the hackers over to us, or they can sit down and take it.

 

[RetiredUSN]

All we can really do is sanction, and vigilantly monitor/update our own cyber security software.

I don't see any retribution outside of what we already doing.

Are we going to send our kids to war to route out hackers because of long gas lines?

 

[nvflash]

All we can really do is sanction, and vigilantly monitor/update our own cyber security software.

I don't see any retribution outside of what we already doing.

Are we going to send our kids to war to route out hackers because of long gas lines?

I hear what you are saying, proportional response, but I don't believe in that mantra, I think such things should be escalated, or hacker will just walk all over us.

This is the step short of war, putting a mark on the hackers, and allowing private forces to deal with them.

Beside of which, long gas lines can cripple the US economy.

 

[nvflash]

All we can really do is sanction, and vigilantly monitor/update our own cyber security software.

I don't see any retribution outside of what we already doing.

Are we going to send our kids to war to route out hackers because of long gas lines?

After think it over, I think there is a middle ground, issuing a cyber letter of mark and reprisal, allowing "white hat" hackers to go after foreign nations infrastructure. I firmly believe white hat hackers are among the best in the world and they have proven over and over that no computer is safe if it is networked or they can gain physical access.

Lockup some vital foreign computer system, until they turn the hackers of our system over to us for trial for their crimes.

 

[eohrnberger]

After think it over, I think there is a middle ground, issuing a cyber letter of mark and reprisal, allowing "white hat" hackers to go after foreign nations infrastructure. I firmly believe white hat hackers are among the best in the world and they have proven over and over that no computer is safe if it is networked or they can gain physical access.

Lockup some vital foreign computer system, until they turn the hackers of our system over to us for trial for their crimes.

Biden (and Congress for that matter) aren't going to do anything beyond something similar to Obama's ineffective 'Knock It Off' directed at Putin. Who are you kidding?

 

[Rich2018]

Traditionally letters of marque and reprisal have been used to enable privateers or pirates to seize or sink navy vessels, but I don't see any reason why it couldn't enable paramilitary forces or bounty hunters from capturing or killing hackers that do damage to the US or our alias that maybe beyond the ability or jurisdiction of our law enforcement.

In this age we know that Russian State cutout operations are doing damage to our nation through hacking attacks, yet Russia denies any involvement, and these hackers are all too often beyond the reach of our law enforcement. Also, China is constantly involved in corporate hacking attacks against US based corporations, yet the State denies any involvement, and the hackers are all too often beyond the reach of our law enforcement.

Is it time to put a kill, capture, or rendition bounty on these hackers in the form of an official letter of marque and reprisal from the US Congress?

I'm sure China, Russia, or any other State would object as a violation of their citizens or sovereignty, but they can't have it both ways, either they are not involved and they can turn the hackers over to us, or they can sit down and take it.

Yeah but traditionally, "witches" were burned at the stake

I don't think that historical practices offer a guide to what's best in the present or future.

 

[Glitch]

Traditionally letters of marque and reprisal have been used to enable privateers or pirates to seize or sink navy vessels, but I don't see any reason why it couldn't enable paramilitary forces or bounty hunters from capturing or killing hackers that do damage to the US or our alias that maybe beyond the ability or jurisdiction of our law enforcement.

In this age we know that Russian State cutout operations are doing damage to our nation through hacking attacks, yet Russia denies any involvement, and these hackers are all too often beyond the reach of our law enforcement. Also, China is constantly involved in corporate hacking attacks against US based corporations, yet the State denies any involvement, and the hackers are all too often beyond the reach of our law enforcement.

Is it time to put a kill, capture, or rendition bounty on these hackers in the form of an official letter of marque and reprisal from the US Congress?

I'm sure China, Russia, or any other State would object as a violation of their citizens or sovereignty, but they can't have it both ways, either they are not involved and they can turn the hackers over to us, or they can sit down and take it.

Your statement is misleading. While it may have been "traditional" during the 18th century among other countries to issue letters of marque, the US has only issued Letters of Marque on one occasion, during our "Quasi-War" with France during their revolution from the 1792 until 1797. One single use does not make a tradition.

In the last 224 years since Letters of Marque were issued by the US the prevailing attitudes among nations has changed. Even if a Letter of Marque were to be issued the hacker would still be considered a criminal at best or a foreign spy at worst by the nation they attempt to hack. The Letter of Marque would offer no protection to the hacker from the nation they are hacking.

 

[Rich2018]

...besides the whole purpose of cyber warfare is surreptitious attack not overt acts of war.