A Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property report floated the idea of letting private companies retaliate against cyberthieves as a means of curbing IP theft. Such counterstrikes would undermine U.S.-led efforts to develop international cyberspace standards and norms while exposing American companies to retaliatory strikes. The report made clear that at some point in the future, companies should have the option of disabling or destroying hacker networks, or planting malware on them. Security experts say companies should focus more on shoring up their defenses rather than on retaliation.”]

