More severe penalties would be imposed on cybercriminals under new legislation revising the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act introduced by Senate Armed Services Committee Cybersecurity Subcommittee Chair Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., CyberScoop reports.
While existing law only sets a five-year maximum prison sentence for cybercrime conspiracy charges, the new Cyber Conspiracy Modernization Act would empower the Justice Department to prolong imprisonments based on the crime severity under a technology-specific CFAA.
"As cyber technologies continue to rapidly evolve, we need more people working to secure cyberspace as well as harsher penalties for those perpetrating these crimes... I am committed to working on policies that strengthen the United States' ability to respond quickly and decisively to cyberattacks which have been on the rise," said Rounds.
Such a development comes just days after Rounds unveiled a measure that would establish cybersecurity scholarships in a bid to bolster the cyber workforce amid escalating Russian and Chinese threats.
