Computer Crime :: essays research papers

Computer CrimeA young man sits illuminated only by the light of a calculator screen. Hisfingers dance across the keyboard. succession it appears that he is only wordprocessing or playing a game, he may be committing a felony.In the subject of Connecticut, computer execration is defined as 53a-251. ComputerCrime(a) Defined. A person commits computer crime when he violates any of theprovisions of this section.(b) Unauthorized access to a computer system. (1) A person is unrighteous of thecomputer crime of unauthorized access to a computer system when, knowing that heis not authorized to do so, he accesses or causes the be accessed any computersystem without authorization...(c) Theft of computer services. A person is guilty of the computer crime o ftheft of computer services when he accesses or causes to be accessed orotherwise uses or causes to be used a computer system with the invention to obtainunauthorized computer services.(d) Interruption of computer services. A person is guilty of the computercrime of interruption of computer services when he, without authorization,intentionally or recklessly disrupts or degrades or causes the disruption ordegradation of computer services or denies or causes the denial of computerservices to an authorized exploiter of a computer system.(e) Misuse of computer system information. A person is guilty of the computercrime of misuse of computer system information when (1) As a result of hisaccessing or causing to be accessed a computer system, he intentionally makes orcauses to be made an unauthorized display, use, disclosure or copy, in any form,of data residing in, communicated by or produced by a computer system.Penalties for committing computer crime range from a class B assault to aclass B felony. The severity of the penalty is determined based on the monetaryvalue of the damages inflicted. (2)The law has not always had a lot success stopping computer crime. In 1990 therewas a nationwide crackdown on illicit compu ter hackers, with arrests, criminalcharges, one dramatic show-trial, several guilty pleas, and huge confiscationsof data and equipment all over the USA.The Hacker Crackdown of 1990 was larger, better organized, more deliberate, andmore resolute than any previous efforts. The U.S. Secret Service, privatetelephone security, and state and local law enforcement groups across thecountry all joined forces in a determined attempt to break the back ofAmericas electronic underground. It was a gripping effort, with very mixedresults.In 1982, William Gibson coined the term "Cyberspace". Cyberspace is defined as"the "place" where a telephone conversation appears to occur.