An interesting question is raised over at Defensetech.org. Does the 2nd Amendment provide citizens the right to defend themselves against a cyber attack?
The 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution is often referred to as the “right to keep and bear arms”. The founders of this nation established “inalienable rights” that include “…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…”. What happens when someone starts trying to hack their way into my home systems? Do I have the right to actively defend those systems? Do I have the right to counter the attack, gather forensics, and refer the attacker for criminal or civil penalties? What happens when the attack originates from a location in the Ukraine and is perpetrated by a German? What happens when a large corporation is attacked by another corporation that is closely tied to a foreign government?
The area of cyber warfare is a cutting edge technological frontier. Being a frontier it also presents us with some interesting scenarios that are going to need to be explored, and refined.
Personally, if someone is attacking my home systems. Pulling the plug, and isolating the problem works real well until it can be resolved.
