The Computer Misuse Act 1990 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, introduced partly in response to the decision in R v Gold & Schifreen (1988) 1 AC 1063 (see below). Critics of the bill complained that it was introduced hastily and was poorly thought out. Intention, they said, was often difficult to prove, and that the bill inadequately differentiated "joyriding" hackers like Gold and Schifreen from serious computer criminals. The Act has nonetheless become a model from which several other countries, including Canada and the Republic of Ireland, have drawn inspiration when subsequently drafting their own information security laws, as it is seen "as a robust and flexible piece of legislation in terms of dealing with cybercrime”. Several amendments have been passed to keep the Act up to date.
R v Gold & Schifreen
Robert Schifreen and Stephen Gold, using conventional home computers and modems in late 1984 and early 1985, gained unauthorised access to British Telecom's Prestel interactive viewdata service. While at a trade show, Schifreen by doing what latterly became known as shoulder surfing, had observed the password of a Prestel engineer: the username was 22222222 and the password was 1234. This later gave rise to subsequent accusations that BT had not taken security seriously. Armed with this information, the pair explored the system, even gaining access to the personal message box of Prince Philip.
Mrs Webber said ... 'The SouthEastRegional Organised CrimeUnit is currently investigating allegations under the Computer Misuse Act in relation to members of staff from HMCTS and HMPPS ... Assaults PC during execution of a warrant under Mental Health Act.
“The Computer Misuse Act1990 is not only out of date but inadvertently criminalising the cyber security professionals we charge with the job of keeping us all safe ... Computer Misuse Act reform.
In the latest deliberations on the Data Use and AccessBill in the House of Lords, I set out two amendments to offer well overdue updating to the Computer Misuse Act (CMA) of 1990... defences to charges under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
... of 1990, which – thanks to archaic wording in regard to the offence of “unauthorised” access to a computer – puts security professionals in the UK at risk of prosecution simply for doing their jobs.
Cross-party parliamentarians will next week debate proposals that aim to fix a “glaring flaw” in the Computer Misuse Act of 1990 (CMA) as momentum gathers behind the need to reform the nearly 35 year-old law ... Computer Misuse Act reform.
It currently has an operating deficit of £37m, which is £122m lower than initially budgeted for ... Subsequently, the National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested and later bailed a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of offences under the Computer Misuse Act ... .
He was convicted under a controversial amendment in 2022 to the Computer Misuse Act. It made it illegal to "write, send, or share any information through a computer, which is likely to ridicule, ...
... the University of Sussex, were in computer systems engineering ... When Badenoch was asked, she admitted a potential breach of the Computer Misuse Act, an offence carrying a jail term of up to five years.
... I wouldn't get into', she decided to study computer engineering at Sussex University ... The prank is said to have constituted a breach of the Computer Misuse Act (CMA), potentially a criminal offence.
The 17 others were charged with illegal access, misuse of devices, computer-related forgery, and computer-related fraud under RepublicAct (RA) 10175, the CybercrimePrevention Act of 2012; and for ...
The NBI said the seized electronic devices contained tools and applications for social engineering schemes, illegal access, misuse of devices, as well as computer-related forgery and fraud, all in ...
The NBI said the seized electronic devices contained tools and applications for social engineering schemes, illegal access, misuse of devices, as well as computer-related forgery and fraud, all in ...
