The term “computer crimes” is not one often heard in criminal news. Most people don’t even realize it exists. Nevertheless, computer crimes are specifically addressed by most states’ legislatures. New York computer criminal statutes are codified in Section 156 of New York Penal Code. This article, written by a New York City criminal defense lawyer Joseph Potashnik provides a short glimpse into what is considered a New York computer crime.

The most common New York computer crime is Unauthorized use of a computer. You may be guilty of unauthorized use of a computer if you knowingly use a computer or computer service without authorization and the computer or system you use is protected by password or another security feature. Unauthorized use of a computer is a class A misdemeanor.