Internet Security Tightens in Japan, Where Lawmakers are Cracking Down on Cyber Crime

The Japanese parliament has aimed a new weapon against cyber criminals who persist in creating viruses. On June 17, 2011, Japanese legislators cracked down on cyber crime by enacting a law against creating viruses or distributing them. Those who violate the new law risk up the three years imprisonment or ¥500,000 in fines.

What likely sparked the new legislation was an onslaught of cyber attacks that distributed fake appeals for donations. These occurred in the wake of the country’s devastating tsunami. The nation’s outrage over criminals creating viruses to take advantage of this tragedy set the stage for the historic Japanese crackdown on cybercrime.

Creating viruses for reasonable causes is exempt under the new legislation. Such an exemption allows computer scientists to develop viruses for legitimate purposes. These might include testing security features on browsers or assessing the effectiveness of antivirus software.

Sending annoying emails or sharing sexually explicit material delivered via email to randomized groups is also addressed by the new legislation. Lawbreaking spammers who are creating viruses may be sentenced to prison for up to two years. The law may be controversial, but it is also a sign that widespread criminal activity in creating viruses is causing monetary losses and wasted time for millions of people.

The viral attacks in Japan targeted the nation’s government offices, private industries and its citizenry. Under the law, those who acquire a computer virus and then store it for later use may face imprisonment for as long as two years. Fines in that case could total ¥300,000. A key piece of the legislation that is causing concern for some privacy advocates is the requirement that internet service providers keep data on everyone who transmits and receive emails for a 60-day period. This provision is meant to protect internet security but has aroused concerns over internet users' privacy rights.

Public outrage over the issue of creating viruses has a positive, crime-preventing aspect. It encourages web surfers and email users to review and install antivirus software that will prevent infection by worms, viruses and spyware. Reading consumer and professional reviews of security software applications is often helpful for finding the security software solution that is best suited for your computer usage and security requirements.

BitDefender Antivirus 2011 and McAfee Antivirus 2011 are two highly rated antivirus software solutions. Many computer users are still unaware of the dangers now that those creating viruses that specifically target the Apple OS pose to Mac users. As Apple computers continue to grow in popularity, the Mac OS will likely attract more cyber criminals, who will take on the challenge of creating viruses to infect Apple computers.
Smartphone users should also take security measures to protect the data on their phones. Google implemented a patch for a security hole affecting Android phones on May 18, 2011. Cyber criminals and spammers will undoubtedly target iPhone users with more cyber attacks in the future.

In May 2011, an AppleCare support tech reported that calls began to pour in that month concerning Mac malware. The ruse was called MacDefender. Norton issued a security alert that Mac users were now being targeted by a scam that puts fake virus alerts on Mac users' computers and then attempts to lure them into giving cyber criminals their credit card numbers. If Mac users do so, it's because they fall for the scam and believe that they are paying to remove an alleged infection. Since most Apple users believe Apple’s products cannot be infected, this may serve as a rallying call for Mac users to install a virus scanner for Macs on their machines. Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition is a free virus scanner for Apple computers.

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