The Nation - News from March 28, 1989

Losses from computer crime now total more than $555 million a year in the United States, according to a survey of computer centers and law officials. But the National Center for Computer Crime Data, which conducted the survey, also found that a very small percentage of computer crimes are reported to law-enforcement agencies and even fewer are prosecuted. Of 485 serious security incidents reported in 1988, the Los Angeles-based center found that only 6% resulted in criminal prosecutions. The survey found that budget allocations for computer security have risen 66% over the last two years, from 1.4% of the total computer budget in 1986 to 2.3% last year.