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.