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Obama Authorizes Penalties For Foreign Cyber Attackers

Posted by samzenpus on from the laying-down-the-law dept.

An anonymous reader writes President Barack Obama has today signed an executive order extending the U.S. administration's power to respond to malicious cyberattacks and espionage campaigns. The order enforces financial sanctions on foreign hackers who action attacks against American businesses, institutions and citizens. It will enable the secretary of the Treasury, along with the attorney general and secretary of State, to inflict penalties on cyber criminals behind hacking attacks which "create a significant threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy or economic health or financial stability of the United States," Obama said. Sanctions could include freezing of assets or a total ban on commercial trade.

3 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Please, no more! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm tired of these April Fool's articles!

    1. Re:Please, no more! by ScentCone · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is apparantely not a joke ... it is from the whitehouse.gov website

      Well which is it?

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  2. Re:How can foreigners be charged under US law? by American+Patent+Guy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow. I'm glad that you educated me. I had always thought that the Constitution granted the power to declare war to Congress alone.

    I always thought, too, that there were civilian administrative procedures. I'm sure glad you let me know that that lady working in the drivers license division was drawing military hazard pay. And judges and courts ... all part of the military machine, eh?

    ... and that mystical power of the President to command the executives of banks in foreign countries ... I had no idea about that either. If you tell me Bigfoot is real, I'll believe that too.