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U.K. Outlaws Denial of Service Attacks
gnaremooz writes "A U.K. law has been passed that makes it an offense to launch denial-of-service attacks. The penalties for violating the new statues are stiff, with sentences increased from 5 to 10 years. The five year penalty was from the 1990 "Computer Misuse Act", which was enacted before the Internet became widespread. The idea of stiffer penalties for DoS attacks are probably something we can all get behind, but the language of the law is frustratingly vague." From the article: "Among the provisions of the Police and Justice Bill 2006, which gained Royal Assent on Wednesday, is a clause that makes it an offense to impair the operation of any computer system. Other clauses prohibit preventing or hindering access to a program or data held on a computer, or impairing the operation of any program or data held on a computer."
I have to disagree on stiff penalties for so called computer crime. Where is the REAL damage? It is not like some ones truck tires are flattened, or a sign is defaced by paint, requiring physical repair.
DOS attacks simply slow down web page access, so what!
Defacing a web page just requires some one to reload another copy. no real world harm is done.
I think these types of crimes deserve not more penalties than tagging a wall, or dressing up some ones yard with toilet paper.
Why would this warrant a real world jail term.
A more appropriate penalty would be "loss of stuff" in whatever on line massive mulitplayer game the offender was into.
It is not a physical crime.
* Carthago Delenda Est *
impairing the operation of any program or data held on a computer."
Sounds like Norton A/V to me.
Your sig(k) has been stolen. There is a puff of smoke!