An amendment has been introduced in the Computer Misuse Act 1990, according to which the hackers who launch serious attacks on the critical infrastructure can face up to life imprisonment. The Act comes under the Serious Crime Bill and in general it defines the offenses which are associated with hacking or associated tools which allow the computer systems to be breached.
Currently, the offenses which are outlined do not account for any kind of cyber attack which might be life threatening or pose a risk to the national security. The section one of the act has mentioned that a person who makes an unauthorized access to the computer material or the user ID and password of the person, it is considered as an offense. The section two has mentioned about an offense which is slightly more serious and related to committing of further crimes after it gains access to someone’s computer without any authorization.
For instance of someone is stealing money or is using information which is found on their system to blackmail then it is an offense. The new offense is about the most serious cyber attacks like targeting the essential systems like power supply, food or fuel distribution and communications.
Such attacks can also result in loss of life or some serious injury and the accused here will have to face life imprisonment.
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