Written question asked by Earl of Northesk (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Scotland of Asthal (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 November 2005.

Computer Misuse Act 1990

Question: What plans they have to protect information technology infrastructure from denial of service attacks in light of the recent ruling on the scope of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 by District Judge Kenneth Grant at Wimbledon Magistrates Court.

Answer: It would not be appropriate to comment on the specific case to which the noble Earl refers but officials are reviewing the details of this case with the CPS. The Government continue to believe that Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 criminalises denial of service attacks where either the offender or the system under attack is located in the UK. As previously announced, we. will be taking forward a number of changes to the Act when parliamentary time allows.

Secondary information