Hacking Tools Are Legal in the UK - For Now

Via Light Blue Touchpaper -

It’s well over a year since the Government first brought forward their proposals to make security research illegal crack down on hacking tools.

They revised their proposals a bit — in the face of considerable lobbying about so-called “dual-use” tools. These are programs that might be used by security professionals to check if machines were secure, and by criminals to look for the insecure ones to break into. In fact, most of the tools on a professionals laptop, from nmap through wireshark to perl could be used for both good and bad purposes.

The final wording means that to succesfully prosecute the author of a tool you must show that they intended it to be used to commit computer crime; and intent would also have to be proved for obtaining, adapting, supplying or offering to supply … so most security professionals have nothing to worry about — in theory, in practice of course being accused of wickedness and having to convince a jury that there was no intent would be pretty traumatic!

----------------------

Can a knife in the UK be used in a crime? Yes!

Should the UK Gov consider making knifes as well? Of course not, it is a tool.

Tool is defined as "an implement used in the practice of a vocation". Therefore by definition, tools can be both good & evil, depending on the vocation.

Assuming that all "hacker tools" are evil is a misplaced idea and by definition, incorrect.