Credit: Kasper Pempel/Reuters New legislation proposed by the German government aims to make computer hacking a punishable crime.The draft law, announced Wednesday, defines hacking as penetrating a computer security system and gaining access to secure data, without necessarily stealing data.As part of the draft, groups that intentionally create, spread or purchase hacker tools designed for illegal purposes could be punished by law, the Federal Ministry of Justice said in a statement.Other punishable cybercrimes include denial-of-service attacks and computer sabotage attack on individuals, which would extend the existing law that limited sabotage to businesses and public authorities. Offenders could face up to 10 years in prison for major offenses. Although Germany already has a comprehensive penal law against attacks on IT systems, the proposed revision aims to close any remaining loopholes, the ministry said.Some security experts warn, however, that “good” hackers, also known as “white hats” who work for security companies, could be restricted in their ability to help software makers and businesses as a result of the proposed law. If hackers can’t share their tools with the public, “white hats will not be able to get them and use them internally for testing or external security consultants won’t be able to do security testing,” a hacker, known by the pseudonym van Hauser, wrote in an e-mail. “It’s a win-lose law in favor for the bad guys.”Van Hauser is president of The Hacker’s Choice, a noncommercial group of security experts.-John Blau, IDG News Service (Dusseldorf Bureau)Related Links: Ore. Man Gets Home Detention for T-Mobile Hack Red Hat Exec: Hackers Still ImportantCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature LexisNexis rises to the generative AI challenge With generative AI, the legal information services giant faces its most formidable disruptor yet. That’s why CTO Jeff Reihl is embracing and enhancing the technology swiftly to keep in front of the competition. By Paula Rooney Dec 01, 2023 6 mins Generative AI Generative AI Generative AI feature 10 business intelligence certifications and certificates to advance your BI career From BI analysts and BI developers to BI architects and BI directors, business intelligence pros are in high demand. Here are the certifications and certificates that can give your career an edge. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 01, 2023 8 mins Certifications Business Intelligence IT Skills brandpost Sponsored by Huawei Beyond gigabit: the need for 10 Gbps in business networks Interview with Liu Jianning, Vice President of Huawei's Data Communication Marketing & Solutions Sales Dept By CIO Online Staff Nov 30, 2023 9 mins Cloud Architecture Networking brandpost Sponsored by SAP Generative AI’s ‘show me the money’ moment We’re past the hype and slick gen AI sales pitches. Business leaders want results. By Julia White Nov 30, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe