UK cyber crime legislation to be updated

Back in November we reported on limitations in the UK’s e-crime legislation that prevented a spammer from being convicted, and led to the magistrate adding that DDoS attacks could not, under current legislation, be considered illegal.

Yesterday, the UK government outlined its new Police and Justice bill. If the bill becomes law, cyber criminals who make unauthorised modifications to a computer could receive up to 10 years in prison. Those who gain unauthorised access to computers could receive sentences of up to two years.

In addition, a recent report suggests that the government is also planning to amend section three of the 1990 Computer Misuse Act. This would make DDoS attacks a criminal offence.

We live in a fast-changing technological world. It’s important for cyber crime legislation to be frequently updated to keep pace with technological developments, and to prevent cyber criminals from slipping through the net.