Legalize cybercrime? Russia wants to exempt hackers acting ‘on behalf of the nation’ from punishment

Malicious hackers have current penalties of up to 7 years in prison in Russia.

The head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Information Policy , Alexander Khinshtein, has announced his interest in exonerating malicious hackers “acting on behalf of the nation.”

This was pointed out to journalists, according to the TASS agency . “We are talking, in general, about drawing up a liability exemption for those persons who act in the interests of the Russian Federation in the field of computer information both on the territory of our country and abroad.”

The plans

According to the Russian politician, it is necessary to think about the legislative consolidation of the rights of hackers who act in the interest of the state.

“For example, I am firmly convinced that it is necessary to use any resources to effectively fight the enemy. If those centers attack us today, then Russia must have a chance to respond appropriately,” Khinshtein notes.

At the moment, there is nothing clear about this proposal and the parliamentarian himself points out that “they will speak when there is a clear wording.”

Russian hackers

Nearly a year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine , cyberattacks became a modus operandi for both nations in the midst of the conflict . Some groups are known such as Killnet, XakNet, NoName057(16), CyberArmyRussia, FRwL Team and others.

Cases such as Killnet are diffuse, as they present themselves as hacktivists and provide cover for the Russian government to carry out their attacks: 14 operations have been linked to US health care organizations.

Currently, the creation, use and distribution of malicious software is punishable by 7 years in prison in Russia.