Initiating DoS attacks carries 10-year jail term in the UK |
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Published
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Mon, 30 Jan 2006 02:05
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LONDON - The UK Government is pushing new laws to make the cyber world a safer place. The Computer Misuse Act is 15 years old and does not take into account new crimes like Denial of Service attacks. The need for an update to the law became obvious when a teenager went scot-free last November because under the law no offence had been committed, although he had sent up to five million emails to his employer.
Since 2002, a couple of attempts have been made to upgrade the law, but it was only when Tom Harris, Labour MP for Glasgow South, tabled the bill as a Private Members' Bill, did the government take any notice.
Under the new suggestions, DoS attacks will carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail. The Police and Justice Bill is another area that will be improved and hackers who are found guilty of creating viruses and malware, but not actually releasing them will face two years in jail plus a fine. Commenting on the acceptance of the Bill, Tom Harris said, "This is excellent news."
By including the measures of my Private Member’s Bill in the Police and Justice Bill the government has sent out a powerful message that cyber-crime will not be tolerated. By increasing the tariff on these crimes, a message will also be sent to the courts and to the Public Prosecution Service that these crimes must be taken seriously and that where appropriate, custodial sentences must be applied."
Analysts feel that the jail terms are significant since they allow UK authorities enough time to secure extradition if necessary since majority of the DoS attacks originate from outside the country most notably from Eastern Europe.
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