Section 251 — Crimes Act 1961: Making, selling, or distributing or possessing software for committing crime

251 Making, selling, or distributing or possessing software for committing crime (1) Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years who invites any other person to acquire from him or her, or offers or exposes for sale or supply to any other person, or agrees to sell or supply or sells or supplies to any other person, or has in his or her possession for the purpose of sale or supply to any other person, any software or other information that would enable another person to access a computer system without authorisation— (a) the sole or principal use of which he or she knows to be the commission of a crime; or (b) that he or she promotes as being useful for the commission of a crime (whether or not he or she also promotes it as being useful for any other purpose), knowing or being reckless as to whether it will be used for the commission of a crime. (2) Every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years who— (a) has in his or her possession any software or other information that would enable him or her to access a computer system without authorisation; and (b) intends to use that software or other information to commit a crime. Compare: 1961 No 43 ss 216D(1) , 229 , 244 Paragraph (a) the reference to the “ Public Finance Act 1989 ” has been substituted for a reference to the “ Public Finance Act 1977 ” . That reference replaced an earlier reference to the “ Public Revenues Act 1953 ” . See section 83 Public Finance Act 1989 (1989 No 44). Part 10 (comprising sections 217 to 305) was substituted by a new Part 10 (comprising sections 217 to 272), as from 1 October 2003, by section 15 Crimes Amendment Act 2003 (2003 No 39).