Obama Administration seeking tougher penalties for cybercrimes like hacking

The Obama Administration is seeking tougher sentences for people who are found guilty of hacking or other digital offenses.

Associate Deputy Attorney General James Baker and Secret Service Deputy Special Agent in Charge Pablo Martinez said the maximum sentences for cyber crimes have failed to keep pace with the severity of the threats. Martinez said hackers are often members of sophisticated criminal networks. Baker and Martinez appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss the portion of the White House's cybersecurity legislative proposal that calls for stiffer penalties for cyber crimes as part of an update to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The Administration argues the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act should be updated to make CFAA offenses subject to its terms. That law is used to prosecute organized crime. Baker said hacking has increasingly become a tool of choice for crimes like identity theft, extortion and corporate espionage.