Opstelten will introduce a bill on ‘hacking back’ next year

Minister Opstelten will not submit a bill until next year that provides a legal framework for so-called back-hacking. Incidentally, the minister confirms that the police broke into servers in the investigation into the Blackshades malware.

In response to parliamentary questions, Opstelten confirms that a bill under the name Computer Crime III will be submitted early next year, which will discuss hacking back. This provides a legal framework for hacking into servers under the guise of a police investigation. NU.nl notes that the bill should have already passed the House of Representatives this year.

It also appears from Opstelten’s answers that the police infiltrated servers in the investigation into Blackshades malware on the authority of the Public Prosecution Service. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the police had raided people who used or managed the malware. The minister states that only in exceptional cases and with the permission of the judge, servers are broken into by the police.

Hacking into servers by police is controversial and has been the subject of political discussion for several years. Experts warn that hacking back threatens the integrity of lawsuits because evidence can be tampered with.