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New California Law Finally Makes Ransomware Illegal
Reader Trailrunner7 writes: It was nice to see the calendar turn over to 2017, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that on Jan. 1 a new law went into effect in California that outlaws the use of ransomware. The idea of needing a new law to make a form of hacking illegal may seem counterintuitive, but ransomware is a case of criminals outflanking the existing laws. Ransomware emerged in a big way a few years ago and the law enforcement community was not prepared for the explosion of infections. While there have been takedowns of ransomware gangs, they often involve charges of money laundering or other crimes, not the installation of the ransomware itself. In September, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that made the use of ransomware a crime, essentially a form of extortion. The law went into effect on Jan. 1.
How was it NOT extortion before the law?
Stupid sexy Flanders.
It is good that they outlawed Windows 10 and Apple APPs.
So.. do we really need another law? For something that is largely coming from out of the country and is unlikely to result in a prosecution except MAYBE at the federal level?
Silence is a state of mime.
This will certainly stop them, I mean I am sure they were just waiting for a law to make it illegal then they'll stop
I mean, we use the CFAA for damn near everything? Why not this, where it actually seems to apply?
If it were only so simple... This does nothing to actually prevent ransomware.
At least the good people of California can cite a specific law instead of the broader extortion laws when they are victimized. I really think there is no point to this law. It has no means to solve the ransomware issue, it simply makes a specific case out of something that was already illegal.
I can finally uninstall that pesky antivirus.
Do nothing bureaucrats gonna bureaucrat. Let's all pat ourselves on the back for making a law that's covered by other laws!
You mean up until now I could have had my own money making machine? Oh well, missed that boat...
Twinstiq, game news
This is one of the more absurd examples of magical thinking I have seen in a while. Why do they think this will have any impact at all?
Most of the groups that spread the malware are based overseas. Most of them use bitcoin to collect payments so there's not even a money trail. Just what is this measure supposed to do to help anyone?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
That'll stop those rusky hackers!
So does that mean Windows won't automatically be bundled with no way to unbundle it before purchase there now?
Furries make the internet go.
ransomware absolutely sucks.
That being said, the statement "The idea of needing a new law to make a form of hacking illegal may seem counterintuitive, " seems a bit loaded. I'm not sure if all hacking should automatically be assumed to be illegal. Would this even be hacking or are we to assume 'everything nefarious done via computer is hacking'.
I am no a lawyer, but how is this law at all necessary? It seems a classic case of "done on a computer so it must be new," which we rant about patents all the time. In not particular order, it seems like at least some of the following existing crimes should apply:
-Unauthorized access to a computer
-Vandalism
-Destruction of property
-Theft
-Extortion
Creative prosecutors are much better at listing out crimes as well so they can "throw the book" at people and coerce them into plea bargains.
I can only hope that the summary is misprepresentitive, and this is more a case of the law being needed to clarify whose jurisdiction and budget enforcement of these kinds of crimes would apply.
Have gnu, will travel.
... must be a reason why lawyers can't understand IT (and, I'm afraid, a medical one)
I'm guessing here -but this might have to do with funding. Awareness drives usually cannot be funded unless there is a specific law. With this law in place, maybe there can be funding to raise awareness amongst everyday people on how to protect themselves from ransomware.
It was nice to see the calendar turn over to 2017
You were getting tired of Miss December too?
Have gnu, will travel.
So basically just more red tape in the system, this law is redundant
it means more charges can be tacked on and via stacking charges make it even more severe sentencing and make people weigh the action and the repurcutions if cought. as others said this is not going to stop it but even murder is illegal and it still happens this is no where near murder but at least the charge/s will fit the crime/s.
Yeah I'm sure this will scare the pants off some guy in his bedroom in Romania or Chelyabinsk.
He'll probably give up his evil ways, go straight, and get a day job at the local Burger King, AMIRITE?
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
.... wouldn't it be more logical to make it illegal to PAY said ransom, unless doing so is part of an active criminal investigation to identify the person or persons that are receiving the money? This would tend to force people who try to spread ransomware to shorten the window in which they are allowed to pay the ransom so that the victims have less time to consider whether they should go to the authorities, and would have to just quickly pay the money, regardless of the legality, just to get their files back. If, however, this window is too short, then it may not leave some people with enough time to even send the money, and with an increase in the number of people that lose their files anyways despite paying the ransom, the perceived effectiveness of paying the ransom to get one's files back is diminished. Confidence that paying anything will be beneficial in such circumstances is destroyed, and the people who would spread ransomware have reduced incentive to do so, since fewer people end up ever actually paying.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I'm sure the foreign hackers that are responsible for 99% of all malware will leave Californians along now. Phew! I'm glad there's a law for this now!
only criminals will now have guns^H^H^H^Hransomware.
This post contains content known to the State of California to cause hurt feelings and rectal discomfort or other digestive harm.
I mean, seriously, 10 percent of the ransom amount?
Take down a cyber ring and you can retire in Sumatra forever!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Bad enough to have all your files encrypted, now you will be in trouble with the government too?
love is just extroverted narcissism
Thanks CA !
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Well this is idiotic but it reminds me if the ACTUAL solution, which is to make paying ransoms in ransomware illegal. That would make it disappear really quickly. It's already illegal to financially support criminal and terrorist groups and that's who runs these so make paying it illegal!
Since when did outlaws start obeying the law?
There are already plenty of laws governing this.
No need to make a new law and clutter up the books.
Bah, hum-bug.
I was doing so well. Now that it is illegal, I guess I'll have to stop. I don't want to be be called a criminal or anything. That just looks bad. I just hope that it is still legal in other states.
Californian law applies in California, most malware is from Asia or Eastern Europe. I do not see how this law will affect anything.
I love stacking my barbecues in the shed at the end of summer - you can't beat a bit of grill on grill action.