With cyber attacks that steal valuable intellectual property on the rise, companies need to consider their options for striking back at attackers, attendees of the annual Black Hat computer security conference in Las Vegas heard yesterday.

"We've been focused on defense for a long time, but there's something else that you've got to do. I believe that the industry has to mitigate the threat and take on the attacker," said Shawn Henry, who gave the opening keynote at the conference, which is being attended by 6,500 experts in cyber attack and defense techniques—both legal and otherwise.

Until this March, Henry headed the FBI's criminal and cyber programs worldwide. He is now president of CrowdStrike, a company that is working on technology that might help targeted companies launch countermeasures, and he is not alone in calling for companies to consider striking back at those who attack them.