Ruling states computer crimes can also be punished more severely if they are committed for a foreign government.
The Dutch government has enacted a new law criminalising a broader scope of cyberespionage and other spy-related activities
According to The Record, the legislation expands existing statutes by targeting not only the disclosure of state secrets, but also the leaking of non-classified sensitive information or aiding foreign states in ways that jeopardise Dutch interests. Offenders could now face up to eight years in prison, or 12 years in severe cases.
Also due to the rise of digital espionage, computer crimes can also be punished more severely if they are committed for a foreign government. The statement said the maximum sentence has also been increased for a number of other offences that are associated with espionage activities and committed for foreign governments, such as bribery.
Justice and Security Minister David van Weel emphasised the need to "strengthen our resilience against attacks and threats from abroad."
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
