RSSBritish hacker who broke into Pentagon may finally be sent to US
By Michael Hatamoto | Published July 30, 2008, 4:31 PM
A British hacker who admitted hacking into Pentagon and NASA computers searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life has lost his latest extradition appeal. After fighting the case for more than six years in UK courts, the British House of Lords officially dismissed his appeal.
Gary McKinnon, 42, admitted to illegally accessing around 100 U.S. military and government computers while living in his north London flat from Feb 2001 to March 2002. While roaming around the systems, he was caught after downloading an image that he thought could have been an alien spacecraft.
He reportedly crashed a computer network of 2,000 U.S. Army computers for one day, and also shut down 300 computers located at a U.S. Navy weapons facility.
McKinnon reportedly caused more than $700,000 in financial damage and first faced extradition to the United States in 2006. The U.S. requested his extradition in October 2004, but there was a two-year period where he was interviewed by UK computer crime investigators at the request of the U.S. government.
The U.S. District Court of Eastern District of Virginia had to spend a few additional months reassuring the British government that McKinnon will be offered a fair trial once he arrives on US shores. Specifically, Britain wanted reassurance McKinnon wouldn't be sent to Guantanamo Bay -- where the US holds suspected terrorists -- and will be eligible for parole.
In 2006 after it was confirmed the UK was interested in McKinnon's extradition to the U.S., critics claimed he was being made into a scapegoat because the U.S. military was unable to secure its own computer networks.
Now that all of his options in the UK have been exhausted, McKinnon is expected to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights, in an attempt to put a stay on the case until the possible ramifications of his extradition are studied.
"The biggest military hack of all time" could earn McKinnon at least 10 years in federal prison, and up to 70 years maximum if he is extradited and convicted.
what's the big deal.
if he comes to the u.s., the cia will make him an employee.
the question is if the british intelligence can afford to loose him.
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|You play with Fire and u get burnt
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|and btw, this was all done the remote assistance like way! lol
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|omg there treating him worse than the terrorist from 9/11
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|Download an image, crash a 2000-computer network? Puhleeease.
Way to drum up the case to hide the embarrassment of getting hacked. Clearly this curious cat is actually a malicious terrorist hacker who should be tried and punished to the full extent of the law. :p
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|There's a good lesson to learn from this:
Never, EVER mess around with a mIRC script.
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|In all likely-hood he might just end up getting a job if the US knows whats good for em. They're system sucks major, this is way I need to get to Canada, Free health care and safe interwebs :D`-THE MAN THEY CALL BOLDER
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|So did he find his UFOs??? If he's going to prison I hope he would have found something worth going to prison for.
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|lol, doubt it.
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|That will teach him, if you're going to hack, don't do it form a police state, do it from Romania.
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|As a former computer Systems Manager for the USAF, I think this guy should be paid, not tried, for his offense. If a nut looking for UFOs can hack the Pentagon, think what Al Qaeda could do! I hope that if they convict, they'll suspend the sentence in exchange for his help. They obviously need it.
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|^This^
When you've been hacked by someone it's a great idea to hire them to secure it.
A noteable example is Steinberg, the makers of Cubase.
Cubase SX3 was hacked after 9 months of it being released. It was purported to be the hardest to hack software of its time, but it was still hacked.
H2O, the group who'd been doing it time and time again to Steinberg were eventually hired or paid off (if they didn't want the job).
Cubase 4 hasn't yet been hacked after 2 years now.
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|This could backfire. You pay them off once, they'll think you'll keep paying.
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|Why should anyone go to jail for something that the US military should have fixed years ago?
He was benign. What if enemies are doing the same thing? the US should pay him to explain to them (the real maroons) how to fix their holes. And give him a medal.
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|Man, are we on the same wavelength! I couldn't agree more.
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|So by *your* logic, it was 100% perfectly OK to illegally penetrate multiple military computer systems/networks? Security or lack thereof is not relevant, it doesn't change that fact that he (allegedly, remember he's "innocent" until proven guilty as hell) broke multiple laws. Again that brings up the unlocked house door analogy: according to *your* logic, it should be perfectly OK to enter a unlocked ("insecure") house.
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|I am with you guys. It is the most logical and smartest thing to do. He should definitely be paid and hired.
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|Nobody seems to be talking about the fact that he accessed ET related material. The government has a huge super secret program that is illegal. Let's focus on the REAL Crime!
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|In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon!"
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|people that can do what he has done, make some of the best computer security techs. wouldnt it be funny if they offer him a job... lol
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|If i recall thats how it used to be many years ago: Find the hacker and then offer him a job (with seriosu restructions) or a stiff jailtime (and get to know Bubba).
Nowadays i think they just jail them, which is probably why we hear about soo many security breaches these days.
70 years is still high IMHO. Murderers & rapists get MUCH less.
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|I don't think he deserves 70 years by any means, but 5-10 would be about right. He might as well man up and accept his fate, he is running out of people to go crying to.
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|2-4 years in prison would be about right
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