NCJ Number
125664
Date Published
1989
Length
476 pages
Annotation
This book examines the issue of computer crime in general but also focuses on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, State computer crime laws, computer crime deterrence, liability issues, and proposed Federal legislation designed to address computer viruses and worms.
Abstract
Reasons for the growing number of computer-related crimes include increased opportunity as the number of computer networks and users rises, difficulty of detection, and potential for lucrative payoffs. At the same time, an increase in computer crime prosecutions reflects such factors as growing law enforcement sophistication, more States with meaningful penalties in computer crime laws, growing corporate willingness to prosecute cases, greater public awareness, and far more computer-related criminal activity. Studies estimate that most computer crimes are committed by employees or insiders. Computer crime types involve data diddling, data leakage, logic bombs, piggybacking and impersonation, scavenging, superzapping, trap doors, viruses, and wiretapping. The book details Federal laws, selected State laws, and relevant court cases dealing with computer crime. Liability issues associated with potential liability, negligence and strict liability, contractual liability, and software manufacturer liability are discussed. Preventive measures concerning administrative and personnel policies, system access controls, data security measures, guarding against viruses, and the threat to local area networks are also considered. Appendixes contain supplemental information on Federal and State computer security laws and computer data security. 409 references.