First I would like to cover the three different terms I found on several Internet sites and their meanings. 1) Hackers- A slang term for a computer enthusiast, a person holds a great deal of knowledge and expertise in the field of computing. 2) Crackers- refers to individuals who gain unauthorized access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting data and 3) Phreaks- are individuals who using a computer or other device trick a phone system to make free calls or to have calls charged to a different account.

Now out of these three terms the first two are the hardest to differentiate from. It seems also that a Hacker can be someone that scans a computer not to steal or corrupt, but to see how a system is set up and what makes it work. Scanning, the cyberspace equivalent of walking down Main Street and jiggling handles to see who leaves the front door unlocked, brings up murky legal issues. Entering someone else's computer is illegal, but scanning, which amounts to asking a co

For the many that are arrested, very few get prosecuted. Using data obtained from the Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act, Banisar found that of 419 cases of alleged computer fraud referred to federal prosecutors last year, only 83 cases were prosecuted. The rest, Banisar says, were dismissed by federal prosecutors, usually for lack of evidence. That prosecution rate has held steady since 1992, even as the number of cases has tripled. Every year between 64 percent and 78 percent of federal computer fraud cases are tossed out. The Justice Department, the FBI, the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency are asking for increased budgets to fight cyber crime and defend against "infowar" despite the fact that less than one-fourth of such cases brought to federal authorities are eventually prosecuted.

Every day they come, they lurk -- then they leave without doing damage. Brandon Pepelea a CEO of a small security company he calls "Designer's Dream," says his collection of Web sites has been scanned systematically several times a week since January. Pepelea has done a hefty amount of personal cybersleuthing. Last year, he compiled information on a virus writer named VicodinES, and shared it with the FBI, the CIA and other law enforcement agencies. His tips fell on deaf ears, and VicodinES, who the world now knows as Dave Smith, went on to release the Melissa virus. Pepelea's hell bent on being heard this time around. "Once again, nobody cares," he laments.

 58 percent of Fortune 1000 companies have experienced computer break-ins.

 18 percent of that group suffered more than $1 million in losses.

The computer crackers that do get caught and prosecuted have a long road ahead of them and one that seems to undermine their constitutional rights for a fair and speedy trial. It took mo

Some common words found in the essay are:
, Saddam Hussein, Main Street, Justice Department, Jim Christie, Act Banisar, Security Agency, Dave Smith, Phiber Optik, Peter Tippett, web sites, computer systems, computer fraud, federal prosecutors, justice department, hacker kevin, computer security, getting caught, top paying, computer hackers,
Approximate Word count = 1245
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)