The Computer Misuse Act 1990
- Created by: skyblue97
- Created on: 18-04-14 10:51
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THE COMPUTER MISUSE ACT 1990
Reasons
- The misuse act is labeled as 'anti-hacking legislation'.
- It was enacted to respond to the growing threat of hacking to computer systems and data.
- Hacking was not illegal in the UK before the act was introduced. The act now covers much more.
Levels of Offence
- Unauthorised Access
- Unauthorised access with intent to commit another offence
- Unauthorised modification of data (writing viruses comes under this level)
Penalties
- Unauthorised Access (level 1) is called a summary offence and penalties are limited to 6 months imprisonment and/or maximum fine of £5000
- The other two offences (levels 2 and 3) are more serious and carry jail terms of up to 5 years and unlimited fines.
Examples
Unauthorised Access
- A student accesses a college database to impress his friends.
- An employee who is about to be made redundant finds the Managing Director's password. He logs on to the computer system using this…
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