UK denial of service prosecution fails
November 4, 2005 |
One of the developing areas of prosecutions worldwide are offences of using the internet to disable businesses. The best known offences relate to the production and dissemination of viruses.
A more subtle and concerning form of offence in England is the denial of use of a computer by a party sending another a stream of emials to disable a target computer or system. That is the nub of the Computer Misuse Act. Earlier this week a London Court cleared a British teenager of charges under the Computer Misuse Act. The prosecution alleged that the teenager sent 5 million emails to a former employer. The three possible offences are:
- unauthorised access to computer material
- unauthorised modification
- unauthorised access with the intent to commit or facilitation the commission of further offences
These offences have been labelled Dos (Denial of Service) attacks. Outl-Law.com has a fascinating story on the most recent Dos prosecution.
The next Dos trial is scheduled for 25 November. Interesting days ahead.
