Which of the following laws is the first to implement penalties for the creator of viruses, worms, and other types of malicious code that causes harm to the computer systems?

Question

Options

• AComputer Fraud and Abuse Act
• BComputer Security Act
• CGramm-Leach-Bliley Act
• DDigital Millennium Copyright Act

• A
  88% (23)
• B
  8% (2)
• D
  4% (1)

Explanation

A. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) is correct because it was enacted in 1986 as the first U.S. federal law to explicitly criminalize unauthorized computer access and the creation of malicious code (viruses, worms, etc.) that damages computer systems, making it the foundational statute for computer crime prosecution.

The other options address different concerns: B (Computer Security Act, 1987) focused on establishing security standards for federal computer systems, not penalizing malware creators. C (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, 1999) governs financial institutions' handling of consumer data - it's a privacy/financial law, not a cybercrime law. D (Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 1998) addresses copyright protection in the digital age, particularly anti-circumvention of DRM, not malicious code.

Memory tip: Think "CFAA = Criminals Face Arrest Always" - it's the go-to law for criminalizing computer attacks, making it the first to actually punish the bad actors behind malware.

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