When it’s in Norway. The Supreme Court in Norway has ruled that it’s not a crime to try to break into someone else’s computer system, because people should expect others to try to invade their systems, and take measures to protect themselves..

There is a crime, ruled the court, only if the system is actually breached. The case developed out of an attempt by a computer security company to break into the University of Oslo’s computers through the Internet, to contribute to a feature story by the Norwegian state broadcasting network.

Apparently the security company mapped holes in the university’s computer security, but did not break in, tamper with, or steal any information.

(c) USA Today 13 Jan 99