EU Parliament approves stricter penalties for cyber attacks
Cyber criminals could face tougher penalties across the European Union under new rules adopted by the European Parliament, which include the creation of a specific offence of using botnets.
The draft directive adopted by the parliament on Thursday defines specific criminal offences for cybercrime and sets specific sanctions for each. It also requires E.U. countries to assist fellow member states and respond to urgent requests for help within eight hours in the event of a cyber attack.
The text has already been informally agreed with member states, and that agreement is expected to be formalized shortly. The member states will the have two years to implement it in national law. Under the draft law, using botnets to establishing remote control over a significant number of computers by infecting them with malicious software carries a penalty of at least three years' imprisonment.
