Which act defines hacking of what is referred to as 'protected computers'?

• A. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986
• B. Economic Espionage Act of 1996
• C. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
• D. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how the law defines hacking and what computers fall under protection. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act defines a “protected computer” as any computer used in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or communication, which basically covers most computers connected to the internet. It makes it illegal to access such a computer without authorization or to exceed authorized access, including breaking into networks or stealing data. That combination—defining protected computers and making unauthorized access (hacking) illegal—is what the act establishes.

The other laws address different areas: the Economic Espionage Act targets theft of trade secrets through espionage; COPPA protects the privacy of children online; PCI DSS is a security standard for payment card data. So the act that defines hacking of protected computers is the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.