COMPUTER FIRES ARE DANGEROUS, NOT ONLY BECAUSE HEAT ERASES MAGNETIC TAPE AND DAMAGES THE COMPUTER, BUT ALSO BECAUSE PARTS GIVE OFF DANGEROUS FUMES WHICH POSE A HAZARD TO THOSE WORKING IN THE COMPUTER ROOM. WATER DAMAGE CAN EITHER COMPOUND THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY FIRE OR CAN BE A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD IN AND OF ITSELF. PERHAPS THE GREATEST DANGER TO VALUABLE CORPORATE FILES, HOWEVER, IS THE DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEE WHO ERASES TAPES WITH MAGNETS OR DESTROYS PARTS OF THE COMPUTER WITH WIRE CUTTERS. BOTH COMPUTER DATA AND COMPUTER TIME MAY BE STOLEN EASILY. IN ONE EXAMPLE, EMPLOYEES OF A FIRM ACTUALLY RAN THEIR OWN TIMESHARING FIRM USING THE COMPANY'S COMPUTER TIME AND SUPPLIES. COMPUTERIZATION MAKES CERTAIN TYPES OF EMBEZZLEMENT AND FRAUD EASIER BY GATHERING ALL RECORDS IN ONE PLACE AND DESTROYING THE AUDIT TRAILS THAT EXIST IN MANUAL SYSTEMS. SKILLED PERSONS CAN MANIPULATE THE DATA AND ERASE ALL TRACE OF THE WRONGDOING. COMPUTER ROOMS HAVE ALSO BECOME FAVORITE TARGETS OF DISGRUNTLED OR RADICAL GROUPS. UNIVERSITIES AND CORPORATIONS BOTH HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF SABOTAGE COMMITTED BY BOTH EMPLOYEES ANDOUTSIDERS. FOR THESE REASONS, GREATER ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE PAID TO COMPUTER SECURITY. TOP MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND INSIST ON SECURITY MEASURES. THIS INFORMAL ARTICLE CONTAINS NUMEROUS EXAMPLES AND CASE HISTORIES.