Chinese hackers, including those who steal information from foreign computers, are facing tougher penalties after a new judicial interpretation came into effect on September 1.

Those who hack into 20 to 100 computers, or steal from 10 to 50 user names and passwords for online-payment or stock accounts, will face at least three-year prison sentences, said the judicial interpretation jointly issued by the China's Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. More serious abusers can now be jailed for up to seven years.

The Ministry of Public Security said the number of computer viruses affecting computers in China rose 80 percent this year and claimed eight out of 10 computers with Internet connections were hacked during the past five years.