he individual (Riggs, 1). Dunagen was left without recourse for the damages of the disconcerting crime (2). The most concerning groups of hackers are those that are using computer crime as a terrorist tool. As American society grows closer to complete computer and technological dependence, terrorist groups have begun to discover new ways to attack organizations and countries without using physical means. Terrorist groups can bring this countrys economy to a total standstill simply by hacking into the computers that control the major commerce and trading systems. Even our national defense and security systems are not invincible to attacks by hackers. Worse yet, computer terrorists are virtually untraceable; they can invade American computer systems without setting foot in the hemisphere, while never disclosing their location. In fact with portable computer technology, terrorists can commit their crimes literally on the move. This makes it extremely difficult for organizations like CERT, the FBI, the CIA, and other state and local crime fighters to track down, let alone prosecute, the criminals or terrorists involved. The United States Government seems to be taking the threat seriously; already the FBI is working hard to keep up with technologys top criminals. The U.S. Department of State is anticipating even greater numbers of attacks on computer systems in the future (Campbell, 1) and the FBI claims that there has already been an increase of over one hundred percent in computer crimes committed in the United States last year (Anderson, 1). This anticipation is well founded: it is a simple fact that as greater numbers of computer systems are developed, there will be more opportunities and areas for terrorist and computer criminals to invade (Parker, 11). The FBI has been developing its technology crime fighting unit for several years now. Other Federal and State law enforcement agencies, however, have fallen behind. Unf...
