All the latest UK technology news, reviews and analysis

Computer Misuse Act changes take effect

by Phil Muncaster

More from this author

01 Oct 2008

Be the first to comment

  • Tweet this
Hacking
The maximum penalty for unauthorised access to a computer has been raised to 10 years in prison

Long overdue updates to the Computer Misuse Act (CMA) come into force across England and Wales today, increasing the penalties for hacking and clarifying the illegality of denial of service attacks.

But some experts are sceptical about whether the new legislation will have any impact.

The three main changes to the CMA were originally included in the Police and Justice Act of 2006 (PDF) and raised the maximum penalty for unauthorised access to a computer from five to 10 years in prison, as well as creating a new offence for the distribution of hacking tools.

The amendments also clarified that launching denial of service attacks is a criminal offence, whether done recklessly or with intent.

However, legal experts were cautious about whether increased sentences would have a positive impact.

"It's all very well increasing prison time but the prisons are full and people don't [serve] much time," said Charlotte Walker-Osborn, partner at law firm Eversheds.

"The law takes a while to catch up and the practice of it is key. It is not going to put strong offenders off."

Walker-Osborn added that the cross-jurisdictional nature of many online crimes will also make it difficult to prosecute offenders under these laws.

Do you agree?

 

Add your comment

We won't publish your address
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms & Conditions. Your comment will be moderated before publication.

Poll

IT priorities for 2012

What is the most important IT priority for your company this year?

98%

0%

1%

0%

1%

Connect with V3.co.uk

Sign up to our daily or weekly newsletters

Accurev

Top 5 software development challenges

This paper focuses on a series of best practices and techniques for development teams looking to improve their software development processes

Talend

Rubbish in, rubbish enterprise

Why good data management at all levels is essential in the modern business (video, 6mins)

Software Design Architect (Windows Database Application)

Software Design Architect (Windows Database Application...

Lead Java Developer - Mobile- Digital- Amsterdam

Lead Java Developer - Fast growing, young and international...

Graduate Software Support Engineer

Job Specification Graduate Support Engineer...

c# or asp.net Software Developer

Job Specification For: Software Developer...

To send to more than one email address, simply separate each address with a comma.