More and more, the operations of our businesses, governments, and financial institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone clever enough to (1) this information for his own purposes can reap big reward. Even (2) , a number of people who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get (3) without punishment.
It’s easy for computer crimes to (4) undetected if no one checks up (5) what the computer is doing. (6) even if the crime is (7) , the criminal may walk away not only (8) but with a glowing recommenda- tion from his former employers.
Of course, we have no statistics on crimes (9) go undetected. But it’s disturbing to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected (10) accident, not by systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught (11) have been the victims of uncommonly bad luck.
Unlike other lawbreakers, (12) must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail, computer criminals sometimes (13) punishment, demanding not only that they not be charged but that they (14) given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All too often, their demands have been met.
Why Because company executives are (15) of the bad publicity that would result if the public found out that their (16) had been misused. They hesitate (17) the thought of a (18) boasting in open court of (19) he juggled (诈骗) the most confidential (秘密的) records right under the noses of the company’s executives, accountants, and security staff. And so another computer criminal departs with just the recommendations he needs to continue his crimes (20) .