News / Foreign Policy

Department of Justice to issue sanctions over hacking: Report

Sunday, 26 April 2015 8:59 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 28 April 2015 10:22 AM ]

The US Department of Justice plans to issue sanctions against foreign entities over hacking complaints.

The US Department of Justice plans to impose sanctions on foreign hackers in order to hamper their efforts in committing cyber crimes in the United States, a report says.

The decision by the department to issue the first round of economic sanctions against foreign entities came over the hacking complaints filed so far at the department, ABC News reported.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security Luke Dembosky told ABC News that he "wouldn't expect it to take too long" before the presidential authorization for cyber-related sanctions, announced at the start of the month, comes into effect.

Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced it would put pressure on foreign hackers and their customers through sanctions.

"The increasing prevalence and severity of malicious cyber-enabled activities originating from, or directed by persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," President Barack Obama wrote in an Executive Order.

Dembosky would not elaborate on which hackers the US government plans to target, though certain potential entities were identified even before the new sanctions were authorized.

He said that the government is very serious and has a rigid plan about who it chooses to impose sanctions against and when, adding this will be carried out in cooperation with the State Department, Treasury and others, which will also provide input.

"This is about leveling the playing field," Dembosky said at the RSA cyber security conference in San Francisco on Saturday.

Some cyber security experts had for long pushed for sanctions to be used to counter cyber attacks besides alternative tools, public condemnation and the filing of criminal charges.

AT/HRJ

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk