Security News > 2020 > January > Maryland Considers Criminalizing Ransomware Possession

Maryland lawmakers are considering a bill that would make possession of ransomware a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.

Maryland would reportedly be the third state to criminalize possession of ransomware.

What the Maryland Bill Would Do. Maryland's Senate Bill 30 would penalize individuals who possess ransomware with the "Aim to introduce the malware in any computer, computer network, or the computer system of another person without the authorization of the other person." The proposed law makes exceptions for using ransomware for security research purposes.

The Maryland House of Delegates plans to debate its own ransomware criminalization bill on Jan. 28, according to the Capital News Service report.

The Maryland bill comes at a time when Baltimore continues to recover from two ransomware attacks that disrupted municipal services for weeks.

News URL

https://www.inforisktoday.com/maryland-considers-criminalizing-ransomware-possession-a-13632