DoS hacker faces jail

A hacker that used a distributed denial of service (DoS) attack against Spanish service providers has been sentenced to two years in jail. The tough penalty could encourage the government to push through proposed amendments to UK computer crime law.

The 26-year old hacker, Santiago Garrido, took the action after he was banned from a chat room. In total, his attack took down almost three million PCs, including customers of ISPs Wanadoo and Lleida Net.

Garrido also faces a 1.4m euro fine, according to internet security firm Sophos.

Possible amendments to the Computer Misuse Act were announced last month that could tighten up UK law in this area.

The proposals, which form part of the Home Office’s Police and Justice Bill, will raise the maximum penalties for attacking a computer to 10 years. They also aim to clarify that all attacks intended to interfere with a computer, including DoS-based attacks, are illegal.