FBI Releases Inaugural Hacking Stats

For the first time, the Federal Bureau of Investigation included statistics in its annual crime report on the number of arrests made around the country for what it called “criminal computer intrusion” — more commonly known as hacking.

Overall, FBI field agents made 105 arrests in 2014 for violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, defined as “wrongfully gaining access to another person’s or institution’s computer software, hardware, or networks without authorized permissions or security clearances.”

“This is a little like pulling weeds in your lawn,” said Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor and now a professor at Wayne State University Law School. ...