UK Operators of Online Gambling Sites Get Protection from Extortion due to Hacking

It has been revealed that apparently some UK Internet gambling operators are being victimized by hackers that break into these websites and then use the information gathered to extort money from the operators. UK authorities seek to strengthen the Computer Misuse Act (CMA) of 1990 to stiffen penalties and increase enforcement, not just for gaming protection but for the Internet as a whole.

The hackers obtain information by hacking which allows them to threaten gambling website operators with denial of service (DoS) attacked, costing them big money. In order to ward off the attack, the operators pay extortion funds to the cyber criminals.

The CMA has not been updated since 1990 and, therefore, fails to address the huge changes in technology in recent years. Amendments are being considered by the House of Lords for inclusion in a comprehensive law enforcement legislation known as the Police and Justice Bill.

The changes include upping the maximum penalties for unauthorized access and modification of a computer from five to ten years. The DoS attacks would fall into this category of 'modification of a computer'. Unauthorized access alone, without modification of the system, would carry up to two years in prison; under current law it is only six months. Supplying hacking tools, such as automated programs which attempt to access computer systems, would also be barred.

Some view the changes to the Computer Misuse Act of 1990 as unneeded. Because current legislation is felt by these to cover enough, they feel that adding Denial of Service attacks into the regulations should not be passed into law.

Of course, online casinos and gambling websites depend on reliable service to make money, they are not the only computer operators that can be impacted by DoS attacks. With e-commerce being big business today, DoS reduce profits even if the problem is rectified quickly. Time is money, whether when gaming or performing other e-commerce and the problem should clearly be addressed as serious and proper action taken by the House of Lords to ensure in every way possible the security of computer systems.

Cyber crime is, however, extremely had to investigate. Yet, strenuous penalties would almost certainly deter some from delving into this realm of hacking.