Really this a question that can only be answered by a judge. The CFAA in the US might apply, section a.2.c bit is pretty broad: information from any protected

Really this a question that can only be answered by a judge. The CFAA in the US might apply, section a.2.c bit is pretty broad: information from any protected computer). The wikipedia article is full of interesting bits and bobs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Fraud_and_Abuse_Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Fraud_and_Abuse_Act Though whether or not a DA would be bothered with investigating and building a case is a different story (probably not, unless there were lots of complaints and/or "serious" complaints). I strongly doubt anyone, even at the FBI, is tasked with finding hackers independent of any complaints.