barn burners

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

Found this via UK Hackers. Would like to know how the lady explains Texas involvement in the degraded IT equipment mess. She is on top of tech issues-right? Sort of like DoD not being able to handle security clearances. Must know Janet. Sort of like opening the barn door and asking for money to catch the horse. Bet the overseas groups are shaking in their boots.

Fair use,etc: "www.currents.net 18 Feb 2000 @824 Bill To Double Hacker Sentences By Robert MacMillan, Newsbytes. February 17, 2000 Penalties for malicious hackers who crack private computers would double if Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, can move her new bill successfully through the Senate.

Hutchison next week is expected to introduce legislation that would alter Title 18 of the US Criminal Code to increase double the current five-year penalty for engaging in "fraud or related activity in connection with computers." Hacking penalties would increase from five to 10 years for the first offense, and from 10 to 20 years for the second offense.

The legislation also would establish a National Commission on Cybersecurity, which would be given six months to present findings on protecting computers in the Internet age from wired misappropriation.

Hutchison's legislation, along with a planned measure announced in a Senate subcommittee today by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., represents two of the initial congressional responses to the spate of denial-of-service attacks that took down several well-known Web sites last week.

"Current law treats computer hackers like harmless 'thrill seekers' when in reality they are reckless drivers on the information superhighway," Hutchison said. "It is clear they now have the capability to disrupt service to millions of Americans and cause countless dollars in damages to US business."

Hutchison's bill, a spokesperson told Newsbytes, likely will establish monetary penalties based on the amount of damage done to corporate Websites, but also would figure in "pain and suffering-style" costs for the amount of damage to the public caused by cracks and other kinds of computer assaults. "When you define damage...it might be a little unclear," the spokesman said, using a hypothetical example of eBay and $5,000. "Did it cost eBay $5,000 to simply fix the service outage, versus 'Did we lose $5,000 in lost opportunities, market capitalization and customer dissatisfaction?'"

Hutchison has been active in several other high-tech legislative initiatives, including the introduction of S. 1660 in September 1999, a bill that establish cyberstalking penalties. That bill is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, while a mirror version of the bill introduced by Rep. Sue Kelly, R-N.Y., passed the House.

Hutchison also is co-chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Taskforce, along with nearly defunct Y2K Committee Chairman Robert Bennett, R-Utah. She alsoserves as the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space. Bennett has proposed to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott that the Senate establish a cyberterrorism and Internet security committee after the Year 2000 Committee's demise. Reported by Newsbytes.com"

-- political observer (justfindingout@capitol.com), February 18, 2000


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