ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the forms of electronic vandalism in a manner consciously designed neither to glamorise the practice, nor to invite emulation. Many forms of telecommunications-related crime are simply traditional crimes committed with modern tools. The low visibility of electronic vandalism renders futile any attempt to estimate its cost. Criminal laws have generally proven adequate to deal with electronic vandalism, at least in substantive terms, in western industrial societies. The lack of a credible deterrent from the criminal law may be compensated for in part by the availability of civil remedies for victims of intrusion Developments in electronic vandalism may well create demands for changes in the law. Criminal investigation of intrusion may not be automatic. Telecommunications carriers also have extensive expertise in preventing the use of their facilities for criminal purposes, and in investigating those cases of misuse which do occur.
