Magendanz to introduce cybercrime bill
Rep. Chad Magendanz, R-Issaquah, is preparing legislation for the upcoming 2016 session to help prosecute and punish cybercrime activity, a growing area of concern in Washington state.
Cybercrime encompasses a variety of actions from identity theft, to intentionally committing trespass by gaining access into a computer system. Also included are the 'hacking' of computer systems with the intention to copy, alter or interfere with existing systems, programs or networks.
His new proposal would preserve existing laws for computer trespass and identify theft, while recognizing new categories of crime like tampering, spoofing, or 'denial of service' attacks – crimes that can make users temporarily or indefinitely unable to use their computer or networks. Further, individuals that copy or transmit data with the intent to commit a crime, while leaving the original in place or unaltered, could be prosecuted for data property theft.
“Long-standing concepts of property trespass, theft, and fraud need to be updated for the electronic frontier. The elements of what constitutes a computer related offense needs to be established for successful prosecution of cybercriminals,” said Magendanz. “There is a range of dangers, from simple theft, to large scale customer data loses and contamination. This can hurt individuals and companies.”
Magendanz was an employee of Microsoft for over 20 years. He worked on the Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle team that developed the STRIDE Threat Model and designed their Threat Modeling Tool. STRIDE identifies security threats in six categories; spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure – privacy break or data leak, denial of service (D.o.S), and elevation of privilege.
The heightened anonymity of digital communication systems has fostered a growing amount of cybercrimes. When malicious in nature, these break-ins may cause damage or disruption to computer systems or networks, imposing a high cost to both individuals and companies.
“The numbers tell the story, data is a lucrative target for criminals. This legislation would protect consumers and companies by helping the courts prosecute these cybercrimes,” continued Magendanz.
For more information about Rep. Magendanz, visit: www.representativechadmagendanz.com.
