A poll conducted by security firm Sophos has revealed strong objections
to hacking into the computers of suspected child abusers.
The poll was prompted by the sentencing of 66 year-old former judge
Ronald C Kline on evidence obtained by hackers.
Canadian hacker Brad Willman installed a Trojan in a file claiming
to contain child pornography and then broke into PCs looking for
evidence.
The survey found that 64 per cent of respondents thought that it
was not suitable to hack a computer, even if there was a suspicion
that the owner was involved in child abuse.
"Not only is vigilante hacking illegal, it can seriously compromise
a police investigation. For instance, a suspect could argue that
the hacker had planted the illegal material on their PC," said
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.
"Authorities investigating potential suspects may even fall victim
to cyber-attacks themselves as they download evidence from sites
such as the one targeted by Willman."
Kline was sentenced to 27 months after being convicted.
