Kinks in the field

    Very controversial law was adopted on Monday by deputies of the German Bundestag. Following the path of gradual toughening of articles of the criminal code against cyber crime, lawmakers did what they feared among information security experts - they seriously went too far in enforcing bans and virtually completely erased the border between the “white” and “dark” sides of the computer underground.

    The completely reasonable provision on the illegality and punishability of any actions to circumvent information protection by unauthorized persons is supplemented in the new rules by a confusing ban on the development, duplication, distribution, installation and use of any software that can be used for these actions. That is, now in Germany it is impossible to check the stability of the security system without the risk of thundering behind bars.

    The law, according to experts, is as stupid as the law against the acquisition and use of, for example, plugs. They can also cause serious harm to humans (and, with a certain dexterity, to several people), but no one has yet thought to equate them with cold steel with all the ensuing consequences.

    In addition to software, the organization of botnets and DoS attacks also falls under the ban, regardless of whether it is carried out with malicious intentions or only for research purposes. Because of this, almost all independent work to improve the defense mechanisms against this Internet plague will become “gray” at best, and their authors will inevitably fall under the strict control of the “authorities”.

    Law passed aheadwidespread discussion of a pan-European e-crime policy. The need for single European legislation in this area has long been advocated by the ministries of justice of many countries of the Union with the active support of the United States. However, until very recently, all large-scale initiatives in this direction were wrapped up under pressure from the public, concerned about the too large powers that the corresponding special services invariably required for themselves. But how the fate of these projects will turn out now, against the backdrop of the inflamed (and heated) hysteria about the recent massive cyber attacks on Estonia, now no one will undertake to predict unambiguously.

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