I've been trying to follow this discussion here and elsewhere as closely as I can. A few thoughts have coalesced and I think I'm ready to share them. Gonna be working on a couple presumptions here.
1) There's likely a discussion going on inside FDEV right now that mirrors this one.
2) FDEV (somewhat famously

) don't play Elite as much as we do. Our perspective as players is crucial.
It's a shame that cheats exist, but hey, humans gonna human amirite? As far as what to do, that's up to FDEV in the end. For the sake of the game and its integrity between players the best cheat detection possible and brutally swift punishments to boot should be the norm. I'm not a computer programmer so I'll leave that discussion to more qualified minds than mine.
As far as being a long time player of this game I will say that it absolutely has to be addressed. Keep us informed, FDEV. Don't be shy. Go get the suckers that think this kind of behavior is alright. In the meantime, I'm sure more people than me are happy to hold down the fort best we can with all the discussion surrounding it.
Just get it done. Simple as that.
Kudos again to the folks that recently brought this issue to the forefront. The game will be better for it.