P2

Project Scenario

As the chief information security officer known as the CISO [pronounced siss-so] for a trade association, part of your job is to monitor potential legislation that could affect your industry. You've been following attempts by legislators to amend the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), which made the news some years ago when Internet activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide before he went to trial on federal data-theft charges under the act.

Swartz, who believed in open access to information, was indicted for downloading millions of documents from a subscription-based academic database. Although Swartz was authorized to read papers on the site, federal prosecutors alleged that Swartz hacked restricted data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's network. He was indicted for counts of wire fraud, computer fraud, unlawfully obtaining information from a protected computer, and recklessly damaging a protected computer, all with a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison and 1 million dollars in fines.

This week, the CEO of your organization sends you a memo explaining that he has been asked to make a statement before a Congressional committee. In the aftermath of the Swartz case, lawmakers have proposed amending the CFAA. The memo states, "I need you to provide me arguments for amending the CFAA, as well as specifics on where and how the law should be amended. Should some criminal sanctions be preserved? If so, which kind of actions would be appropriate? Provide examples of how your proposed changes would affect potential problems in the workplace."

When you submit your project, your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below. You can use the list below to self-check your work before submission.

· 1.3: Provide sufficient, correctly cited support that substantiates the writer's ideas.

· 2.2: Locate and access sufficient information to investigate the issue or problem.

· 7.4: Align an organization's security posture to applicable laws, statutes, and regulatory documents.

When you submit your project, your work will be evaluated using the competencies listed below. You can use the list below to self-check your work before submission.

· 1.8: Create clear oral messages.