The vote on the new cyber directive will take place in July

Jun 8, 2013 12:11 GMT  ·  By

On Thursday, the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament (EP) endorsed the draft directive according to which cybercrminals would face tougher penalties in the European Union.

In addition to proposing new minimum penalties for hackers, the new directive also aims at boosting law enforcement cooperation in the field of cyber, and to facilitate the prevention of cybercrimes.

The EP highlights the fact that cybercriminals located in the Netherlands might be using computer systems from Germany to control compromised devices in the Ukraine in an attack aimed at UK organizations.

Since cyberattacks can’t be confined to one single country, it’s imperative that law enforcement authorities collaborate efficiently.

If the draft directive is approved, law enforcement will have to reply to urgent requests for help in the event of cyberattacks within eight hours. The EP advises law enforcement agencies to make better use of the existing 24/7 network of contact points.

As far as the penalties for cybercriminals are concerned, EU member states must agree to set their maximum terms of imprisonment at no less than two years for those who illegally interfere with data and information systems.

Those who intercept communications and those who sell hacking tools also fall in this category.

For cyberattacks committed by criminal organizations, ones against critical infrastructure, or ones that cause serious damage, the prison term must be set to at least five years. A minimum three-year prison sentence awaits those who create botnets.

Finally, companies that hire hackers to target the competition’s databases will also be held liable. The penalty for such crimes might include closure of establishments, or exclusion from entitlement to public benefits.

The vote on the new directive will take place in July.