The issue of computer security has been prevalent since well before the 1970s as individuals began to break into telephone and telegraph systems. As technology advanced, the personal computer has become the principle targets of many so called hackers. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made one of the first of many arrests related to computer hacking back in the early 1980s. The first known major group was the 414s, named after their area code in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were arrested for attacking over 60 different computer systems the most prevalent of the places attacked was Los Alamos National Laboratory. With attacks like this the federal government stepped in and passed the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in the 1980s. The new legislation allowed more strict punishments to be directed at individuals caught illegally abusing computer systems. In the late 80s, a 25-year-old hacker named Kevin Mitnick began intercepting e-mails from security managers at both Digital Equipment Corp. and MCI Communications Corp. He was arrested, but only ended up …show more content…
Hacking in the 2000s increased by 79 percent over 1990s figures, according to a report released by the FBI. Web sites such as Yahoo, America Online, eBay, and Amazon.com were exposed as vulnerable, costing the corporations millions of dollars and undermining the confidence of online shoppers. Eventually, one of the key perpetrators in many of these attacks, a 16-year-old Canadian boy operating under the name Mafia-boy, was arrested, and authorities discovered he also had broken into the computer networks at Harvard and Yale Universities. Due to his young age, the young man was only given parole, he was prohibited from using the Internet or shopping at stores that sold computers. His punishment was even enforced during his schooling being only allowed to use computers well under strict supervision of