The European parliament has released details of a draft directive which will bring into place tougher penalties for cyber criminals. The new directive also extends EU rules that have been in place since 2005 covering botnets, the theft of online credentials and the use of tools that allow cybercrime.

The new directive will bring in tougher penalties for cyber criminals who attack a business’s IT Security. Botnet operators will face a minimum of three years in prison and those convicted of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure could face up to five years. EU member states have two years to put the directive in place in their own country. However, it is expected some countries will put the directive in place before this.

Another key area of the directive is one which seeks to improve co-operation between EU member states when investigating cybercrime. Cybercrime differs from regular crime in that the perpetrators are often based outside the country in which the crime takes place. It has been known for many years that improved co-operation between member states was needed to bring down cybercrime gangs as early as possible and one of the aims of this directive is to vastly improve this area.

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Source: Computer Weekly