Mississippi Computer Crimes and Identity Theft Act, core offenses

Miss. Code Ann. §§ 97-45-1, 97-45-3, 97-45-5, 97-45-7, 97-45-9

A citation is an address, not a summary. The first part names the law; what follows narrows it to the exact section, article or paragraph.

In force.

A computer misuse rule binding public and private bodies.

As of 6 September 2026.

What it requires

Accessing a public, unauthenticated Mississippi-connected computer or page is not, by itself, computer fraud, an offense against computer users, or an offense against computer equipment; those offenses require intent to defraud or a lack of consent from an authorized user or an equipment owner, elements a public page does not carry on its own.
Copying or using data gained through observation of the property in public use or on public display is proper means and is a defense to the offense against intellectual property; ordinary collection from a public-facing page is likely to fit within this defense.
Do not defraud, deny an authorized user access, disable or damage equipment, or destroy, insert, modify, copy, use, or take intellectual property without consent, by means that fall outside proper means (independent invention, lawful reverse engineering, license or authority of the owner, public observation, or published literature).

If you get it wrong

Criminal exposureYes

Criminal exposure note

Each of the four offenses escalates through the same four value tiers: damage or loss under $1,000 is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 6 months in the county jail, or both, or a suspended sentence with up to 1 year probation; $1,000 to $5,000 by a fine of up to $10,000 or up to 5 years imprisonment, or both; $5,000 to $25,000 by a fine of up to $10,000 or up to 10 years imprisonment, or both; and $25,000 or more by a fine of up to $10,000 or up to 20 years imprisonment, or both. A third or subsequent conviction where the value is at least $500 is punishable by imprisonment in the Penitentiary for up to 3 years and a fine of up to $2,000 for computer fraud or up to $1,000 for the other three offenses.

Penalty structure

The $10,000 figure is the fine cap for the three higher value tiers on each of the four offenses; the lowest tier caps the fine at $1,000. See criminal_exposure_note for the full tier structure and imprisonment ranges, which this field does not carry.

Rule: Fixed only
As of: 6 September 2026
Currency: USD
Fixed cap: 10,000

What it reaches

Obligation class

Access restriction, Prohibition

What this law does

Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.

Computer fraud (Section 97-45-3) is intentionally accessing or causing to be accessed a computer, computer system, or computer network with intent to defraud, to obtain money, property or services by fraudulent means, or to insert malicious code. An offense against computer users (Section 97-45-5) is intentionally denying an authorized user access without consent, or disclosing access codes without consent.

An offense against computer equipment (Section 97-45-7) is intentionally modifying or destroying computer equipment or supplies without consent. An offense against intellectual property (Section 97-45-9) is intentionally destroying, inserting, or modifying intellectual property without consent, or disclosing, using, copying, taking, or accessing it without consent. Section 97-45-9(6) exempts disclosure, use, copying, taking, or accessing by proper means.

Section 97-45-1(v) defines proper means to include observation of the property in public use or on public display, alongside independent invention, lawful reverse engineering, license, and published literature. Each offense escalates through four value-based tiers of fine and imprisonment, with an enhanced Penitentiary term for a third or subsequent conviction.

When LexLint raises it

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Read the law

Mississippi Code
Title 97, Chapter 45, current text reproduced by FindLaw (codes.findlaw.com), a secondary mirror used because Mississippi's codified statutes are published only through a paywalled commercial service

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