What is the Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984 (Title 18 of the U.S. Code)?
The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), first enacted in 1984 and revised in 1994, criminalizes unauthorized access to a “protected computer” with the intent to obtain information, defraud, obtain anything of value or cause damage to a computer. A “protected computer” is a computer that is used in interstate or foreign commerce or communication, or by or for a financial institution, or the government of the United States. The “interstate or foreign commerce or communication” criteria of the protected computer definition may make the act of hacking into a secure web site from an out of state computer a violation of CFAA. The Act made it illegal to access a computer without authorization to gain United States defense or foreign regulations information. It also made accessing a company’s financial information, as well as damaging files illegal. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, which also included computer fraud, sharing of passwords and damage of federal information, updated the
