Brit Hacker Loses U.S. Extradition Appeal

Gary McKinnon Accused Of Breaking Into Pentagon, NASA Computers, Causing Huge Damages

(AP)  Some call it the biggest hack of military computers; perhaps it was just a big embarrassment.

Gary McKinnon — accused of breaking into military and NASA computers in what he claims was a search for UFOs, allegedly causing nearly $1 million in damage — has lost his appeal for extradition to the United States.

McKinnon, 42, an unemployed computer administrator, allegedly broke into 97 computers belonging to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Department of Defense from a bedroom in a north London home.

His attacks between 2001 and 2002 allegedly shut down the Army district responsible for protecting Washington, and cleared logs from computers at the Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey that tracks the location and battle-readiness of Navy ships.

That last attack, coming immediately after the Sept. 11, knocked out the station's entire network of 300 computers. NASA and privately owned computers also were damaged, prosecutors said, putting the total cost of his online activities at $900,000.

At the time of his indictment, prosecutor Paul McNulty said McKinnon pulled off "the biggest hack of military computers ever — at least ever detected."

In his defense, McKinnon, known online as SOLO, said he was trying to expose security weaknesses and uncover evidence of UFOs.

"I was a man obsessed," McKinnon wrote on The Guardian newspaper's Web site last year, describing a year spent trying to break into U.S. military systems: eight hours a day at a computer in his girlfriend's aunt's house while unkempt, drinking beer and smoking marijuana.

In interviews, he claimed that his hacking uncovered photographic proof of alien spacecraft and the names and ranks of "non-terrestrial officers."

Prosecutors accuse him of deliberately trying to intimidate the U.S. government by tearing through their networks. They pointed to a note written by McKinnon — and left on an Army computer — attacking U.S. foreign policy as "akin to government-sponsored terrorism."

"It was not a mistake that there was a huge security stand down on September 11 last year," he wrote. "I am SOLO. I will continue to disrupt at the highest levels."

McKinnon was caught in 2002 after some of the software used in the attacks was traced back to his girlfriend's e-mail account. The U.S. sought his extradition, a move his lawyer Claire Anderson claimed Wednesday was motivated by the government's desire to "make an example" of a man who humbled officials in Washington by hacking into their systems using off-the-shelf office software and a dial-up modem.

Aspects of American cyber-security had been shown up as "really shameful," with some computers not even password-protected, said Graham Cluley, a security consultant with Sophos PLC.

He said the United States appeared to be pursuing McKinnon in an effort to flexing its legal muscle to the hacking community, which has watched the case with interest.

"The overriding message is: You shouldn't mess with American government and military computers, particularly right after Sept. 11," Cluley said.

McKinnon's lawyers had hoped to hold any trial in Britain, saying he could be dragged before a military tribunal or even end up at Guantanamo Bay.

In their appeals, they said McKinnon was warned by U.S. officials that he would not be allowed to serve any part of his sentence in Britain unless he agreed to cooperate with his extradition. That, they argued, amounted to an unlawful threat and abuse of process.

Not so, Britain's House of Lords said Wednesday. Lord Brown, writing for Britain's highest court, said plea bargaining could only be called an abuse of process "in a wholly extreme case."

"This is far from being such a case," he said.

While the decision exhausts McKinnon's legal options in Britain, Anderson said she would appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. She said British authorities had agreed to keep McKinnon in Britain for at least two weeks to allow his lawyers to prepare their application.

"If that fails, then it's off to jail in America for 60 years," McKinnon told the British Broadcasting Corp. "Rapists and murderers and real terrorists get less."

Should McKinnon be extradited, he would face trial in Virginia and New Jersey on eight charges of computer fraud.

Each charge potentially carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. However, U.S. sentencing guidelines would likely recommend a much lighter sentence.

[patriot12436]

If he was as smart as he thought he was he wouldn''t have gotten caught. Who is laughing now ?

[patriot12436]

lochlan
If he were an American that hacked British security, i would hop[e we would surrender him to meet justice in their country.

[patriot12436]

t

[lochlan-2009]

British government selling out it''s own citizens to appease the U.S. government by having him extradited for a crime that was illegal in a foreign country. Britain, take it from an American who''s lived through the Bush Regime, after watching your magna cartar go the way of the do-do you better pull the reigns in on your government before you''re in a world of hurt.

[bushie3]

mnelsonix
It is true our government hired hackers at first, but that practice stopped when they started to recruiting people to fill that jobs instead of saving them from prison. You cant tell me that, a hacker, who Creates a virus is doing the computer users of the WORLD any *** good. IT people, which I am not, have enough problems just keeping Windows running and making Bill Gates look good. I am sorry I do not see the Reality in your statement.

[stn_sage]

If the Bush administration doesn''t know what to do with this little b@stard, let me be so kind as to point it out! Life in jail, no parole!

Look what he did! He compromised the security of 97 computers! He made the Bush administration look like a bunch of security morons! I bet he was laughing his head off while he was doing it, too!

Well, laughing boy isn''t going to think it''s so funny when he gets here and goes to trial! The Bush administration FINALLY got someone who''s guilty of the charges against him---nail this guy to the wall!

[bushie3]

Hacking is not some kind of game, Its cost all of us time and money, not just the governments. people treat it like a sport, when it is malicious valdalism. they should try to hold them responsiblefor there actions.

[summarex]

If you don''t want people from other countries hacking into your government computers. get yourselves the hell off the internet.

[godseyesore-2009]

700,000 in damage? Obfuscation and nonsense.
If not, then state of the nation''s security system(s) is in deep dodo.

[patriot12436]

t

[patriot12436]

drinuk
I agree, there is miore blame to go around. But we need to make an example of someone who has hacked our natioat security so to let others know the justice will be swift and hard for this type of crime. How do we know he didn''t sell this information to someone?

[patriot12436]

t

[drinuk]

Absolutely correct patriot12436, Yes he is being made an example but the extradition is also a front and covering the embarrassment of people who should have done a better job in protecting the nations interests. Their inefficiency is deplorable as is the behaviour of US prosecutors who promised a deal if he co-operated and abused that plea when he did so.

Two wrongs do not make a Right! this case however leaves many matters unanswered and loads of people in high places covering their azzes. The system prior to the hacking was like a sieve and people should answer for that also. If a rank amature like McKinnon could gain access how many times have the Chinese and Russians gotten IN ? We will never know because McKinnon is now the fall guy and the focus of attention thus diverting us away from the real offenders.

[farmerbb]

Oh well, they "want to make an example of him". Now THERE''S a reason to fight on his behalf. If he did the crime, he will have to do the time. If the penalty is excessive, THAT would be a reason to use that line. Otherwise it is merely the justice system trying to show what he is charged with is a crime deserving of punishment.

[greeneyes222]

You do the crime, you do the time. Nobody is denying the man actually did this, so by all means he should be brought to justice in the country he committed the crime against.

[patriot12436]

Damm straight we want to make an example of him. This has nothing to do with the European court. They were not the ones hacked.

[CBSTV]

The U.S. government is concealing information about UFOs/extraterrestrials -- but Mr. McKinnon was wrong to think that he could find useful information by breaking into NASA''s computers.