Washington

AFTER a seemingly endless barrage of cyberattacks, debate is heating up on hitting back at hackers where it hurts.

Amid calls for ways to punish and deter hackers without sparking a so-called "cyberwar", a panel of experts assembled by the George Washington University (GWU) Center for Cyber and Homeland Security said in a report on Monday that US policies should be eased to allow "active defence" measures by both the government and private sector.