‘Active cyber defense’ or vigilantism?

By Steven Nelson

Published February 13, 2018 5:01am ET

‘Active cyber defense’ or vigilantism? — In this 2017 image made from video, seen though an interior window, employees work in the offices of Secureworks in Atlanta. A bipartisan coalition in Congress is working to tweak the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which bans access to computers without their owner's permission, so that companies that have been hacked can disrupt cyberattacks. (AP Photo/Marina Hutchinson) | Marina Hutchinson

A foundational Internet law passed about two decades before anyone used Facebook or Twitter may be on track for an update that would allow the private sector to fight back against hackers.

A bipartisan coalition in Congress is working to tweak the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which bans access to computers without their owner’s permission, and the reform effort has vague backing from the Trump administration.