Comment by Xss3
Any reasonable programmer (a peer) would say an unencrypted system that doesnt validate data is an unprotected system.
Any reasonable programmer (a peer) would say an unencrypted system that doesnt validate data is an unprotected system.
It's a legal term, has nothing to do with technical protections.
Practically any device connected to the internet is a "protected computer". The only case I can think of where the defendant prevailed on their argument that the computer in question was not a "protected computer" was US v Kane. In that case the court held that an offline Las Vegas video poker machine was not sufficiently connected to interstate commerce to qualify as a "protected computer".