In the European Union, the Commission of the European Communities presented on April 19, 2002 a proposal for a Council Framework Decision on attacks against information systems. The proposal was adopted by the Council in 2005 and includes Article 2: Illegal access to Information Systems, Article 3: Illegal System Interference and Article 4: Illegal Data Interference:
Article 2
Illegal access to Information systems
1. Each Member State shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the intentional access without right to the whole or any part of an information system is punishable as a criminal offence, at least for cases which are not minor.
2. Each Member State may decide that the conduct referred to in paragraph 1 is incriminated only where the offence is committed by infringing a security measure.
Article 3
Illegal system interference
Each Member State shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the intentional serious hindering or interruption of the functioning of an information system by inputting, transmitting, damaging, deleting, deteriorating, altering, suppressing or rendering inaccessible computer data is punishable as a criminal offence when committed without right, at least for cases which are not minor.
Article 4
Illegal data interference
Each Member State shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the intentional deletion, damaging, deterioration, alteration, suppression or rendering inaccessible of computer data on an information system is punishable as a criminal offence when committed without right, at least for cases which are not minor.
