Fight against hackers stepped up
Source: Xinhua |
August 30, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA'S Supreme People's Court and top prosecutors office will step up the fight against computer hacking by toughening penalties for those caught doing it, according to a joint statement issued yesterday.
Under rules coming into effect from Thursday, people who "knowingly purchase, sell or cover up illegally obtained data or network control will be subject to criminal penalties," the statement said.
It said such activities have become increasingly unrestrained, even giving rise to large online transaction platforms. Penalizing these violations helps sever the profit chain of hacking and other related crimes.
A crime endangering information network security poses a threat not only to network security but also to national security and public interests, according to the statement.
The legal interpretation on handling cases involving activities that endanger information network security is aimed at cracking down on such crimes with greater force, the statement said.
The interpretation has defined relevant terms and clarified criteria for imposing penalties in cases regarding illegally obtaining computer network data or providing hacking tools or programs, among others.
China is one of the countries most affected by hacking and cyber crimes, according to the statement. More than 1 million IP addresses in China were controlled from overseas in 2009, 42,000 websites were distorted by hackers, and 18 million Chinese computers have been infected by the Conficker virus every month, or about 30 percent of computers infected globally, the statement said.
Ministry of Public Security statistics show that the number of viruses circulating on the Internet has surged 80 percent year on year in the past five years. The ministry also estimates that eight out of 10 Internet-connected computers are controlled by hackers.
Under rules coming into effect from Thursday, people who "knowingly purchase, sell or cover up illegally obtained data or network control will be subject to criminal penalties," the statement said.
It said such activities have become increasingly unrestrained, even giving rise to large online transaction platforms. Penalizing these violations helps sever the profit chain of hacking and other related crimes.
A crime endangering information network security poses a threat not only to network security but also to national security and public interests, according to the statement.
The legal interpretation on handling cases involving activities that endanger information network security is aimed at cracking down on such crimes with greater force, the statement said.
The interpretation has defined relevant terms and clarified criteria for imposing penalties in cases regarding illegally obtaining computer network data or providing hacking tools or programs, among others.
China is one of the countries most affected by hacking and cyber crimes, according to the statement. More than 1 million IP addresses in China were controlled from overseas in 2009, 42,000 websites were distorted by hackers, and 18 million Chinese computers have been infected by the Conficker virus every month, or about 30 percent of computers infected globally, the statement said.
Ministry of Public Security statistics show that the number of viruses circulating on the Internet has surged 80 percent year on year in the past five years. The ministry also estimates that eight out of 10 Internet-connected computers are controlled by hackers.
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