"US to Ban Export of Hacking Tools to Authoritarian States"

The US government has issued new rules designed to prevent the export of hacking and surveillance tools to regimes guilty of human rights abuses.  The new rules were released by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and will go into force in 90 days.  Governments singled out by the proposals are “of concern for national security reasons” or subject to an arms embargo.  The rules will also apply if the exporter knows that the product will be used to impact the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of IT systems without the knowledge of their owner/administrator.  The cybersecurity community has 45 days to comment on the rules.  The latest rules created by BIS are a result of BIS’s negotiations in the multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement, which governs export controls. The long-running treaty has been criticized in the past for adding unnecessary red tape for cybersecurity vendors wanting to export their products abroad.

Infosecurity reports: "US to Ban Export of Hacking Tools to Authoritarian States"