[ISN] Sweden to ban website attacks

From: InfoSec News (alerts@private)
Date: Mon Feb 19 2007 - 23:15:40 PST


http://www.thelocal.se/6460/20070219/

By James Savage
19th February 2007

Disabling websites through programming computers to automatically click 
on the same page thousands of times so-called denial of service attacks 
will be made a criminal offence in Sweden from 1st June.

There is currently no specific law banning the attacks, and other 
legislation is deemed insufficient to ensure convictions in many cases.

According to a draft amendment to existing hacking laws published by the 
government on Monday, perpetrators of denial of service attacks will 
face maximum sentences of two years' imprisonment.

The Swedish national police website crashed in the summer after an 
attack, which was believed to have come in reaction to raids on 
file-sharing site The Pirate Bay. The incident is currently being 
treated by police as unlawful dispossession, but nobody has so far faced 
charges.

The Swedish government's website also crashed after a presumed attack 
following the raid on The Pirate Bay, but there was too little evidence 
to pin the blame on any individuals.

The new law will make it illegal to carry out a denial of service 
attack, regardless of whether it is done automatically or manually. 
Prosecutors will need to show that the attack was intended to disable 
the victim's system. Conspiracy to carry out an attack will also be made 
a criminal offence.


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