The advent of the computer era has brought with it several new kinds of criminal activities and also new forms of military engagements that take place over long distances and involve either disabling military equipment or stealing secret information, or both.
There are also new laws against computer crimes including the United States Computer Fraud and Abuse Act from 1986 and the United Kingdom’s Computer Misuse Act. There are also several laws against spyware. However as in other fields laws do not prevent computer crimes. Also, some computer malware such as browser hijackers and spyware may be legal if they are identified in license agreements that users accept.