Which of the following acts is endorsed to provide a clear statement of the proscribed activity concerning computers to the law enforcement community, those who own and operate computers, and those te

Question

Options

• AComputer Fraud and Abuse Act
• BGovernment Information Security Reform Act (GISRA)
• CComputer Security Act
• DFederal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)

• A
  90% (53)
• B
  2% (1)
• C
  5% (3)
• D
  3% (2)

Explanation

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) was enacted precisely to address the gap in law - it explicitly defines unauthorized computer access as a federal crime, giving law enforcement clear statutes to prosecute offenders, computer owners a legal basis for protection, and would-be attackers fair warning of criminal consequences. It is the foundational U.S. criminal statute for computer-related offenses.

Why the others are wrong:

• GISRA (B) focused on requiring federal agencies to conduct security program reviews and report to Congress - it's a management/oversight law, not a criminal prohibition statute.
• Computer Security Act (C) aimed to improve security of federal computer systems and establish training standards; it addressed security practices, not criminal law enforcement definitions.
• FISMA (D) replaced GISRA and created a risk-management framework for federal information security programs - again, administrative/compliance-focused, not criminal law.

Memory tip: Think "CFAA = Crimes Forbidden, Arrests Authorized." If the question mentions law enforcement, criminal proscription, or unauthorized access as a crime, the answer is almost always the CFAA - it's the only one of these four that operates as criminal law rather than a security management or compliance framework.

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