Law enforcement agencies investigating digital crimes are overwhelmed. All this has sparked renewed interest in “hacking back”—or allowing the victims of breaches to pursue attackers through cyberspace themselves.

Today, such vigilantes would be breaking the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), a law that makes it illegal to access third-party computers without prior authorization. Draft legislation currently making its way through the House of Representatives aims to change that. The Active Cyber Defense Certainty (ACDC) Act would let victims access computers that aren’t theirs in order to track down digital assailants and stolen data.