Fergie's Tech Blog

IT Industry Wants Action on Cyber Crime Bills

William Jackson writes on GCN.com:

Much of the information technology industry is getting behind a pair of cybercrime bills introduced in Congress and is pressing to get action on the bills.

The Business Software Alliance has come out in favor of H.R. 2290, the Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2007, and S. 2213, the Cyber Crime Act of 2007, and is producing educational materials to help sway legislators.

Two officials from Symantec of Cupertino, Calif., spent Tuesday on Capitol Hill talking with staffers for Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.

Art Wong, senior vice president of security response and managed services at Symantec, said current federal criminal law does not adequately address modern cybercrime. “There is an increased professionalization of hacking activity,” Wong said. Underground economies have developed where hacking tools and stolen data can be bought, sold or traded in “an e-Bay-like environment. Clearly, legislation is behind.”

posted by Fergie @ 10/30/2007 05:49:00 PM