Tougher Hacking Laws Get Support in UK

rainbowhawk writes to tell us BBC News is reporting that new laws outlining harsher punishments for computer crimes are gaining support in the UK. From the article: "The move follows campaigning from Labour MP Tom Harris, whose ideas are now being adopted in the Police and Justice Bill. There will be a clearer outlawing of offenses like denial-of-service attacks in which systems are debilitated."

Comments

more info

[dotpavan]

Look at Part 5, sections 34 and 35 of this

Re:And how should it be enforced?

[Fatchap]

Let's face it, everyone, literally everyone, who is in the security biz today, from 'net security to virus analysis has some kind of record. Either a public one or (if he's good) at least one that didn't get public. But everyone has scratched and sniffed at a server or two.

I do not see how you get from "scratching and sniffing" to a record. I, along with most reputable security folks, spend a large amount of my personal income on equipping my lab so I can try things out without doing it on other people's servers and networks. The idea that to gain experience you have to break the law is absurd, it is a bit like saying to be a chef you have to have tried poisoning people!

The fact is that it is against the law to tamper with, or to attempt to tamper with computer equipment that does not belong to you. The end result of posts like this is a simple law becomes confused with faux moral claims like "I was experimenting" or even worse "I was testing it to try and help the owner". Ask Dan Cuthbert (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4317008 .stm) if it's ok to hack boxes without permission.