The UK government wants to amend its current laws to let judges give a life sentence to computer hackers whose misdeeds result in loss of life or threaten national security. The 1990 Computer Misuse Act now gives hackers a maximum sentence of ten years. In the newly introduced Serious Crime Bill, cyberattacks resulting in loss of life, serious illness or injury, or serious damage to national security carry a life sentence while those resulting in serious economic or environmental damage carry a 14-year sentence. “Malicious hackers who risk triggering deadly civil unrest by cutting off food distribution, telephone networks, or energy supplies by sabotaging computer networks could be sentenced to life in prison,” according to the Telegraph. (SlashDot)(iTnews.com.au)(Telegraph)
