The Russian government has proposed a new law that will see hackers and cyber criminals punished with prison sentences of up to 10 years for creating malicious software that targets Russian Infrastructure. The criminals, according to the bill, do not necessarily have to take part in the actual cyber attacks.
The bill was posted on the website of the Russian government on Wednesday. It proposes changes to the Criminal Code of Russian and Criminal Procedure Code by introducing a new article titled “Illegal influence upon the critical information infrastructure of the Russian Federation.”
There are different malicious acts that have been referred to in the article. These include the creation and distribution of programs or information that can be used to destroy block or copy data from the Russian systems”
Once a suspect is found to be a part of a hacking, they will face a fine of 500 000 to 1 million rubles, which is about 7,700 to 15, 400 USD. According to the article, the hacking does not have to cause much harm to lead to prosecution.
But should the attacks lead to extensive disruption, the bill suggests prison sentences of up to 10 years for everyone that took part in it.
Additionally, cyber criminals who obtain unauthorised access to protected data will face a penalty of up to 1 million rubles, which is 31 000 USD, and a prison term of up to six years of forced labour or five years in jail.
The proposal for the bill comes a short while after President Vladimir Putin signed a new doctrine on the security of Russian information.
The new doctrine tries to reinforce the sovereignty of the country and its territory, as well as maintaining stability in its social and political well-being. It will also protect human rights, liberties, and crucial IT infrastructure.
The document states that: “cross-border circulation of data leads to opportunities that criminals use to achieve geopolitical, military and illegal political goals.
The bill is currently under the review of the State Duma, which is the lower chamber of the Parliament of Russia. This represents good news considering how hackers have been in the news lately.
