Russia Blocks Ethical Hacking Legislation Over Security Concerns (theregister.com)
(Thursday July 10, 2025 @05:22PM (msmash)
from the stranger-things dept.)
- Reference: 0178328480
- News link: https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/07/10/1833225/russia-blocks-ethical-hacking-legislation-over-security-concerns
- Source link: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/10/russia_ethical_hacking_bill/
Russia's State Duma [1]rejected legislation that would have legalized ethical hacking, citing national security concerns. Politicians worried that discovering vulnerabilities in software from hostile countries would require sharing those security flaws with foreign companies, potentially enabling strategic exploitation.
The bill also failed to explain how existing laws would accommodate white-hat hacking provisions. Russia's Ministry of Digital Development introduced the proposal in 2022, with a first draft in 2023. Individual security researchers currently face prosecution under Russian Criminal Code for unauthorized computer access, while established cybersecurity companies can conduct limited vulnerability research.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/10/russia_ethical_hacking_bill/
The bill also failed to explain how existing laws would accommodate white-hat hacking provisions. Russia's Ministry of Digital Development introduced the proposal in 2022, with a first draft in 2023. Individual security researchers currently face prosecution under Russian Criminal Code for unauthorized computer access, while established cybersecurity companies can conduct limited vulnerability research.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/10/russia_ethical_hacking_bill/
Ethical Russians you say (Score:2)
by greytree ( 7124971 )
Any remaining Ethical Russians should be doing all they can to bring down their murderous government.
Solution (Score:2)
Well, the Russians could just white hat hack computers not in Russia, and report findings to companies outside Russia.
I guess.
It's not clear what problem the legislation was even intended to solve.