Stafstrom Tells New York Times CT Has Law To Deter Hackers Hitting U.S. Municipalities

August 22, 2019

The New York Times reports municipalities across the country have been held hostage by sophisticated criminals who have hacked into computer systems, encrypted data and demanded millions of dollars in ransoms for freeing the systems.

Interviewed by the NYT reporters, Rep. Steven Stafstrom, House chair of the Judiciary Committee, said legislation he led to passage in 2017 gives prosecutors the ability to pursue either traditional extortion charges or those specifically related to ransomware. As a deterrent under the law, a sentence of three years in prison could be imposed for a conviction.

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