Law on intruders to be looked at
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Downing Street says the law on people's right to defend themselves against intruders will be looked at.
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U.K. prosecutors have received guidance on interpreting amendments to a&#160;computer crime law&#160;that introduce stronger penalties for computer hacking.A six-page document published on Monday by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) gives prosecutors pointers for handling offenses under soon-to-change provisions of the Computer Misuse Act (CMA) of 1990.The amendments were passed into law in November 2006 but have not yet come into force. The changes are designed to strengthen the government&#39;s ability to prosecute and punish hackers, and increase penalties for accessing systems without authorization.Computer security professionals have expressed concern&#160;about the drafting of the changes, however.The most-discussed change, contained in Section 3A of the CMA, makes it illegal for someone to create an application that is &quot;likely&quot; to be used for hacking. But the precise definition of &quot;likely&quot; has prompted fears the law could potentially target those undertaking activities such as penetration testing.According to the CPS document, prosecutors should look at what an application does and who its creator thought would use it. Conditions to consider would be whether the hacking tool was given to a &quot;closed and vetted list of IT security professionals or was posted openly,&quot; CPS said.Prosecutors should also find out whether the tool has a legitimate purpose, if it has a large installation base and whether it&#39;s commercially sold.Some applications will &quot;have a dual use, and prosecutors need to ascertain that the subject has a criminal intent,&quot; CPS said. Possession of a program is not enough to prosecute, it said.Computer security researchers &quot;might find some comfort in this guidance&quot; since criminal intent must be demonstrated, said Struan Robertson, senior associate with law firm Pinsent Masons.The guidance is generally acceptable, wrote Richard Clayton, a computer scientist at the University of Cambridge, on his blog. But using the criterion of whether a hacking program is available for sale ignores the fact that much software is free, Clayton said.On another issue, the document also clarifies what constitutes unauthorized access to a computer, a crime under Section 1 of the amended CMA. The defendant must know that the intended access wasn&#39;t permitted, and prosecutors must show that the person intended to improperly access information from the computer.&#160;
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Learn what to look out for, and protect yourself!
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Business & money: New rules to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords and letting agencies could be on the way
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Scammers and thieves are out there, but you can protect yourself.
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Government powers to detain foreigners without limit under emergency anti-terror laws threaten the values they were designed to protect, the Law Lords were told today.
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BEIJING, March 8 -- In preparation for likely approval, China's legislature on Thursday began examining a much-debated law that helps protect private property in an increasingly well-off society.
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TORONTO (CP) - The province's private security guards will soon be subject to stringent new standards as part of the Ontario government's efforts to keep them on their side of the thin blue line.
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Covert use could breach RIPA The Home Office is reviewing the legal status of automatic number plate surveillance cameras after the chief surveillance commissioner advised they could be operating unlawfully.â¦
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The law protecting people who intervene to stop crime will be reviewed, the justice secretary will say.
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OTTAWA (CP) - It's legal for police to scan homes using heat-detecting equipment, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled.
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Â· New law heralds world's biggest biometric systemÂ· Police to share information on visa applicants
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Britainâs top police officer today called for an urgent updating of the law to protect householders who use force to defend their homes against criminals - even if it involves killing the intruder.
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The Senate reopens debate on a bill that would protect from prosecution anyone who helped with President Bush's warrantless spying on Americans. Immunity would extend to telecom companies and the president himself.  Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) reasserts his threat to block the measure.
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You may lock your doors and windows - and maybe even activate an alarm system to keep your home protected, but a new study indicates that most of us haven&#39;t taken the equivalent of those basic steps when it comes to protecting ourselves when we go online.
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KENNESAW, Ga. - Police are searching for a burglar who enters homes in a very unique manner, burrowing through the walls of a house. The method avoids setting off alarm systems, which typically are attached to windows or doors. Someone burglarized a home Jan.
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Legislation aimed at protecting people from anti-social behaviour in Northern Ireland comes into force.