NCJ Number
94165
Date Published
1983
Length
70 pages
Annotation
Computer experts and representatives of law enforcement and Federal agencies testified regarding H.R. 3075, a bill requiring the Small Business Administration to establish a task force to develop guidelines on evaluating computer security for small enterprises as well as an information clearinghouse.
Abstract
The Committee emphasized that the bill's purpose was to determine the size of the computer crime problem for small businesses, since they have limited resources, use smaller computer systems with limited security features, and are less able to absorb losses than large corporations. An expert on computer crime gave an overview of the problem, while the next witness described the National Bureau of Standards' programs in computer security, focusing on activities of interest to small businesses. A senior management consultant in the computer field discussed the need for H.R. 3075 and suggested directions for the proposed task force. The president of the Maryland Crime Prevention Association expressed his support for the bill and gave a law enforcement view of computer crime. The next witness's account of how his company was victimized by a programmer from the company that had sold it a computer system provided an opportunity for the experts to comment further on the growing problems of computer-related crime. The final speaker, the chairman of the Software Protection Committee of the Association of Data Processing Service Organizations, focused on the need for control of access to computerized information and the importance of educating small business owners about computer security. Prepared statements and the bill's text are included.