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In what country? I suspect that given the intentions it would be a breach of the U.K. computer misuse act for example. Holding the perpetrator to the law is another matter of course.

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> given the intentions

Exactly. If I just nilly willy connect to your server, try a password and it works and I immediately disconnect, will that get me in trouble in the UK? That would be worrying.

1. mens rea probably applies

2. But if you make a stab at shoplifting and you are successful and give back the item, did you break the law?

I am not a lawyer I am just asking.

> But if you make a stab at shoplifting and you are successful and give back the item, did you break the law?

Well, yeah?

The Theft Act 1968 defines theft as dishonest appropriation of “property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it” (and then waxes lyrical about what, exactly, that means: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/60/crossheading/de...). Just going by that law, I would say "it depends".

Technically yes. You were trying to get unauthorised access to a server

But the law is never black and white. Programmers think the law is some code to run. It’s not.

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