A technology offense involving unauthorized access, interference, deception, or unlawful interception using electronic systems. It is defined by authorization status, protected system or data, and the required intent or harm elements where applicable. It does not include authorized access or communications conduct that satisfies applicable consent requirements. It safeguards system and data integrity and commonly supports restitution and forfeiture remedies. The concept is generally stable, though coverage expands as technical methods evolve over time.

Principle

Systems and data designated as protected require explicit consent or legal authority for access; security of computing resources is maintained by controlling entry points and accountability for who may use them.

Demonstration

A person uses a SQL injection exploit to enter an administrative panel on a university server that denies public access, downloads student records, and copies them offsite without any account or permission.

Misapplication

Labeling routine security testing, vulnerability scanning performed with permission, or legitimate remote administration as unauthorized access when consent or a lawful relationship exists.

Consequence

When correctly applied, the concept enables criminal prosecution or civil remedies against intruders, deters abuse of systems, and justifies corrective security measures by system owners.

Reversal

Authorized access or legitimately delegated use, such as an administrator logging in with valid credentials or an auditor operating under an explicit contract, contrasts with unauthorized access.

Boundary

Excludes access that is consensual or expressly permitted by the owner, lawful interceptions authorized by statute or warrant, and purely physical trespass unconnected to electronic system entry; ‘protected computer’ scope varies by jurisdiction and may exclude wholly public systems.

Semantic Tension

Tension exists with related concepts like 'exceeding authorized access' (where access begins as legitimate and then is misused) and with general 'hacking' as a cultural term that may be non-criminal in some contexts.

Synthesis

Unauthorized access to a protected computer is the legally significant crossing of technical and policy barriers to enter a designated digital resource without valid permission, distinguished by method (bypass, theft, exploitation) and by the protected status of the target.