Embargos and sanctions such as these could be the new norm in dealing with cyber warfare threats—especially since companies have no real teeth to fight back.

“It has become painfully clear that even the largest corporations are incapable of preventing state sponsored cyber attacks on their own,” says Nathan Sportsman, CEO of the Praetorian, which provides security assessment and advisory services.

For instance, corporations can’t exactly “hack back” against state-based incursions. The response would have to come from the U.S. government, Sportsman says. “While economic sanctions should not be considered a panacea, U.S. sanctions will provide a partial deterrence to the rampant cyber attacks that we are currently experiencing,” he says.