Laws Target Computer Virus Creators Worldwide

In the United States, virus laws date back to the 1980s, with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This law criminalized the distribution of computer code created or used for criminal purposes. The legislation also included virus laws that made it illegal to distribute code if the distributor’s intent was to cause economic loss or damage. The first U.S. person to face prosecution under the law was a Cornell University student, Robert Morris. He achieved infamy through his release of the first worm to infect the internet. He allegedly claimed it was intended as a prank. The estimated damages approached $10 million, according to news reports.

Those who enforce virus laws in the U.S. and around the world have a huge number of scofflaws to bring to justice. The U.S. Department of Justice Computer Crime & Intellectual Property issued 10 press releases in June 2011 detailing information on those who violate virus laws, as well as criminals who infringe upon intellectual property rights.

In February 2011, Kaspersky Lab issued an international appeal for more effective virus laws. Ryan Naraine, security evangelist in the Americas for the company, said that despite privacy laws, antivirus companies should have the authority to seize control of a botnet and eject the malicious code. He added that a cooperative arrangement between law enforcement agencies and computer security companies would be another possible solution to protecting internet security. Naraine compared this to the case of a sniper, in which police have the authority to enter personal property in order to protect the public from attackers. Hack attacks should be accorded similar status, he argued.

Japan enacted virus laws in 2011 against spreading viruses and spam. Other countries have toughened laws against cybercrime. In the Netherlands, the country’s 1993 Computer Crime Act was updated in 2006. New provisions targeting hacking were added, along with penalties that criminalized interfering with someone’s data. That offense could potentially result in two years of incarceration. Australia’s Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Bill 2011 was passed partly to bring the nation’s virus laws into compliance with a treaty governing the European Convention on Cybercrime, as well as preserving private data and giving law enforcement investigators more help in fighting cyber criminals.

The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime took force in 2004. Over 40 countries agreed to participate in this as signers or parties to the effort to combat computer crime on an international scale. Going forward, members are expected to adopt legislation to combat illegal activities using computers, computer code, internet servers or email services. This treaty is also known as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.

A series of spectacular hack attacks against major U.S. companies occurred in the first half of 2011. Hackers stole the private information of 200,000 customers of Citibank – one of the largest banks in North America. This included email addresses, names and account numbers. Hackers also targeted Google’s Gmail accounts, Sony’s PlayStation Network users and Epsilon Data Management, a firm that manages email for large companies. The company’s customers include Best Buy Co.

Obviously, passing virus laws around the world alone will not prevent cybercriminals from biting into an ever-more tempting apple through cybercrime – an apple that is juicy with vast troves of financial and consumer data. That’s why consumers need to take the time to review the antivirus software that are available for individual computer users. Software reviews that list features and functions that include virus scan solutions are among the best strategies to shield your personal data from malicious cyber attacks and malware.

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