BCS / DIP / PGD/ CORE /CSM / COMPUTER MISUSE ACT 1990

The Computer Misuse Act (1990)

Hacking has been around almost as long as the Internet; some people just love to try and break into a computer system.

The Computer Misuse Act of 1990 is a law in the United Kingdom that makes certain activities illegal, such as hacking into other people’s systems, misusing software, or helping a person to gain access to protected files of someone else's computer. So, in 1990, the Computer Misuse Act was passed.

The Computer Misuse Act (1990) recognised the following new offences:

1. Unauthorised access to computer material

The first section in the act forbids a person to use someone else’s identification to access a computer, run a program, or obtain any data, even if no personal gain is involved in such access. Individuals also cannot change, copy, delete, or move a program. The Computer Misuse Act also outlaws any attempts to obtain someone else’s password. Obviously, if someone gives another person his identification and he may legally use the computer, these laws under unauthorized access do not apply.

2. Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate a crime

The second provision in the law is gaining access to a computer system in order to commit or facilitate a crime. An individual can’t use someone else’s system to send material that might be offensive or to start worms or viruses. He also can’t give someone his identification so that he can use a system for this purpose. This second part means that the individual would be facilitating someone else’s intent or crime.

3. Unauthorised modification of computer material.

Unauthorized modification in the Computer Misuse Act means that a person can’t delete, change, or corrupt data. Again, if someone puts a virus into someone else’s system, he would be violating the act. Usually, committing unauthorized access only is thought a crime punishable by fine. Access with intent and unauthorized modification are considered more severe and may be punished by heavy fines and/or jail time.

3a. Making, supplying or obtaining anything which can be used in computer misuse offences.

Making: This includes the writing or creation of computer viruses, worms, trojans, malware, malicious scripts etc.

Supplying: This part covers the distribution of any of the above material whether you have created it yourself or obtained it from elsewhere. It is an offense to supply or distribute these files to others.

Obtaining: If you purposely obtain malicious files such as computer viruses or scripts that you know could be used to damage computer systems then you have committed an offence under the Computer Misuse Act.