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Obama Administration Wants More Legal Power To Disrupt Botnets
Trailrunner7 writes: The Obama administration has proposed an amendment to existing United Stated federal law that would give it a more powerful tool to go after botnets such as GameOver Zeus, Asprox and others. In recent years, Justice, along with private security firms and law enforcement agencies in Europe, have taken down various incarnations of a number of major botnets, including GameOver Zeus and Coreflood. These actions have had varying levels of success, with the GOZ takedown being perhaps the most effective, as it also had the effect of disrupting the infrastructure used by the CryptoLocker ransomware.
In order to obtain an injunction in these cases, the government would need to sue the defendants in civil court and show that its suit is likely to succeed on its merits. "The Administration's proposed amendment would add activities like the operation of a botnet to the list of offenses eligible for injunctive relief. Specifically, the amendment would permit the department to seek an injunction to prevent ongoing hacking violations in cases where 100 or more victim computers have been hacked. This numerical threshold focuses the injunctive authority on enjoining the creation, maintenance, operation, or use of a botnet, as well as other widespread attacks on computers using malicious software (such as "ransomware" )," assistant attorney general Leslie Caldwell wrote.
In order to obtain an injunction in these cases, the government would need to sue the defendants in civil court and show that its suit is likely to succeed on its merits. "The Administration's proposed amendment would add activities like the operation of a botnet to the list of offenses eligible for injunctive relief. Specifically, the amendment would permit the department to seek an injunction to prevent ongoing hacking violations in cases where 100 or more victim computers have been hacked. This numerical threshold focuses the injunctive authority on enjoining the creation, maintenance, operation, or use of a botnet, as well as other widespread attacks on computers using malicious software (such as "ransomware" )," assistant attorney general Leslie Caldwell wrote.
more freedom in what it can be allowed to label as a botnet. How about any selection of computers in any government, or computers belonging to a large company in a competing market, or a competing foreign economy?
Could have stopped at "wants more legal power."
Actually, the headline could have been simply shortened to: Obama Administration Wants More Legal Power!
And whatever administration that comes next, will also want more legal power.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
People in Hell want ice water...
Government always wants more power....
or crafty.. instead of using an old law with just enough power, they willingly forget it and write a new one with a whole lot more power.
Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
So can we now expect the Republicans declare to a crusade to promote the creation of botnets? ...or have I misunderstood how American democracy works these days?