Appropriate Punishment For Crackers?

Cally writes "There's a Kevin Poulson article on SecurityFocus reporting that the US Sentencing Commission is seeking opinions about the appropriate punishment for convicted system crackers and other black-hat types. On one hand, it seems absurd to ruin the entire life of a foolish 15 year-old for committing the equivalent of graffiti. Then again, perhaps these people are cyber-terrorists who should be illegally imprisoned, indefinitely, without a trial, charges, or legal representation? You choose."

Comments

Depends...

[Anonymous Coward]

If I'm the accused, I want a nice short probation...if someone cracking my website, then I want 'em hung, drawn and quartered...

Re:Depends...

[Cinnibar CP]

They can pack up your AV gear and walk out, but you can't shoot them.

But you CAN smash them in the kneecap with a crowbar. I find it's an adequate, non-lethal deterrent in my homestead.

Trust me, they won't be doing much walking afterwards.

IANAL...

[Greyfox]

But I seem to recall that the criminal justice system is geared towards not ruining the lives of 15 year olds by (usually) erasing their criminal history when they turn 18. The usual exception for this is in murder cases where the kids are often tried as adults.

Personally I think we should take a page from Singapore's book and explore the latest options in caning. Nothing drives a lesson in ethics home more quickly than being beaten severely with a bamboo stick by a martial arts master. I would also view caning as an appropriate remedy for spammers violating anti-spam laws, telemarketers ignoring do-not-call lists, as part of a comprehensive package for the last round of fraud-perpitrating corporate CEOs and companies who file frivolous patent lawsuits based on laughable patents.

Easy...

[YuppieScum]

Hack Microsoft? Rewards and adulation...

Hack me? Nail the fucker to a tree...

Re:Which protocol is that?

[kien]

(The law also created new penalties for hackers who literally kill people over the Internet.)

Ignoring for the moment the practicalities of killing somebody over the Internet(!?), doesn't the USA already have murder/manslaughter laws? Why does there need to be special legislation depending on the method employed? Do you have special laws for murder with a knife; with a gun; with a mango?

Good questions. All I know is that a whole lot of MMORPG players are totally screwed.

DoJ: "What? You play a paladin in EverQuest? Murderer! We know about that guard you killed in Freeport to get your Soulfire!!! Take him away, boys!"

snicker

--K.

Re:graffiti?

[BlueGecko]

Your analogy doesn't work. If I leave my house with a door unlocked, then your entering and destroying (because, let's be honest, that's what a cracker as opposed to a hacker does) is still just as illegal as if I had locked the door. If you accidentally bump my house and it's so shoddily made that it falls over, that's not the same thing. That's more like the Slashdot Effect.

Crackers?

[sielwolf]

Well I think white folks should get the same sentences as minorities commiting the same crime. What makes you think that honkeys have the-

Wait... what are we talking about again?

Re:Phone support

[AntiNorm]

Make them do 1st level phone support for an AOL for a few hundred hours, that will teach them ...

Or restrict them so that they will only be allowed to have internet access through AOL...

Forget Graffiti

[commodoresloat]

Haven't you guys heard? Graffiti is dead. You're going to have to do your hacking with a keyboard from here on out.