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Should The Internet Gambling Industry Help Cyber Crime Fighters?
EU unveils plan to fight hackers, cybercrime
April 24, 2002 Posted: 12:16 PM EDT (1616 GMT)
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- The European Commission unveiled new proposals on Tuesday which could send Internet hackers and spreaders of computer viruses to jail for years.
Industry and security experts welcomed the proposals, but said more needed to be done to get companies, cautious of bad publicity, to report Internet attacks and to boost law enforcement resources in the fight against cybercrime.
Presenting the proposals, European Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Antonio Vitorino said there was a clear link between organized crime and Internet attacks.
"There is clearly a mafia approach. There have also been sophisticated organized attempts to steal substantial sums from banking services," he said.
The draft law seeks to harmonize existing national legislation in the 15-nation European Union and would require backing from EU governments before coming into force.
It defines hacking as gaining unauthorized access to an information system with the intent to cause damage or for economic gain.
It also targets anyone who sends computer viruses such as the infamous "ILOVEYOU" virus -- which caused major information system breakdowns across the world in 2000 -- as well as other types of destructive software such as "logic bombs," "worms" and "Trojan horses."
If approved, the law will lead to prison sentences of at least one year for acts of cybercrime and at least four years in attacks that caused physical harm, large economic losses or gains, or that involve an organized crime network.
The proposal also requires member states to set up a round-the-clock information exchange system for cybercrime attacks.
Many incidents unreported
Neil Barrett, a Internet security expert, said an effective fight against cybercrime relied on additional factors.
"Victims need to report the attacks, the police need to be prepared to investigate these attacks," said Barrett, who is technical director of Information Risk Management, a London-based security consultant firm.
Many incidents of hacking are believed to go unreported by companies and government bodies due to the difficulty in tracking the culprits and the embarrassment of admitting vulnerability.
One industry victimized by organized hack attacks is the online gambling industry, where hackers have managed to crack servers, corrupt games and rack up winnings worth millions of dollars, according to industry and security experts.
The European Information Society Group, EURIM, an industry lobby group said that while the proposals would help in the fight against cybercrime, more cooperation between law enforcement and the industry was needed.
"Clarification of the law is most welcome," said Philip Virgo, secretary general of EURIM. "But (it) will not achieve results without greatly improved cooperation between industry, which is under regular attack, and law enforcement."
April 24, 2002 Posted: 12:16 PM EDT (1616 GMT)
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- The European Commission unveiled new proposals on Tuesday which could send Internet hackers and spreaders of computer viruses to jail for years.
Industry and security experts welcomed the proposals, but said more needed to be done to get companies, cautious of bad publicity, to report Internet attacks and to boost law enforcement resources in the fight against cybercrime.
Presenting the proposals, European Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Antonio Vitorino said there was a clear link between organized crime and Internet attacks.
"There is clearly a mafia approach. There have also been sophisticated organized attempts to steal substantial sums from banking services," he said.
The draft law seeks to harmonize existing national legislation in the 15-nation European Union and would require backing from EU governments before coming into force.
It defines hacking as gaining unauthorized access to an information system with the intent to cause damage or for economic gain.
It also targets anyone who sends computer viruses such as the infamous "ILOVEYOU" virus -- which caused major information system breakdowns across the world in 2000 -- as well as other types of destructive software such as "logic bombs," "worms" and "Trojan horses."
If approved, the law will lead to prison sentences of at least one year for acts of cybercrime and at least four years in attacks that caused physical harm, large economic losses or gains, or that involve an organized crime network.
The proposal also requires member states to set up a round-the-clock information exchange system for cybercrime attacks.
Many incidents unreported
Neil Barrett, a Internet security expert, said an effective fight against cybercrime relied on additional factors.
"Victims need to report the attacks, the police need to be prepared to investigate these attacks," said Barrett, who is technical director of Information Risk Management, a London-based security consultant firm.
Many incidents of hacking are believed to go unreported by companies and government bodies due to the difficulty in tracking the culprits and the embarrassment of admitting vulnerability.
One industry victimized by organized hack attacks is the online gambling industry, where hackers have managed to crack servers, corrupt games and rack up winnings worth millions of dollars, according to industry and security experts.
The European Information Society Group, EURIM, an industry lobby group said that while the proposals would help in the fight against cybercrime, more cooperation between law enforcement and the industry was needed.
"Clarification of the law is most welcome," said Philip Virgo, secretary general of EURIM. "But (it) will not achieve results without greatly improved cooperation between industry, which is under regular attack, and law enforcement."