British Hacker Loses Appeal, Faces Extradition To U.S.

[BlueJessamine]

Source: Channel Web

A British man who hacked his way into computer networks run by the Pentagon, NASA and other U.S. government agencies in a search for proof of UFOs is a step closer to being sent to the U.S. for trial.

A British High Court Friday rejected an appeal by Gary McKinnon to halt his extradition to the U.S., where he faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted.

McKinnon's lawyers had argued that extradition was "unnecessary, avoidable and disproportionate" for the charges, according to a report by the BBC. They also said the 43-year-old computer expert suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and is at risk of psychosis or suicide if he is sent to the U.S., the Associated Press reported.

Britain's home secretary and director of public prosecutions have refused McKinnon's requests that he be tried in the U.K., and McKinnon has been appealing those decisions through Britain's House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights, all without success.


Read more: http://www.crn.com/security/218900238;jsessionid=UKKX1QUUCMZAAQSNDLPCKH0CJUNN2JVN

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McKinnon, who was indicted in 2002, is charged with breaking into 97 U.S. government computer networks in 2001 and 2002, including those operated by the Pentagon, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy and NASA. Prosecutors have said McKinnon's actions crippled crucial national security systems around the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including shutting down for three days the network that serves the military district for Washington D.C.

Paul J. McNulty, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, called the case "the biggest hack of military computers ever detected."

[imdjh]

1. I love the wording, can't help it.

"the 43-year-old computer expert suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and is at risk of psychosis or suicide if he is sent to the U.S."

The US is especially harmful to those with Aspergers?

[Turbineguy]

2. He'll be on government-run health care.

Maybe they should ask he be extradited to Canada.

:sarcasm:

[Ian David]

3. The closer he gets to Area 51, the worse it gets. n/t

[Joanne98]

4. He hacked into NASA's UFO files. If they get him back here they'll kill him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fNsah-0vpY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQhF6lApr8E&feature=related

[comtec]

5. I dunno... im thinkin he'll have a job

97 key systems?
aside from unbelievable, if he did do that he's has some seriously mad skillz it;'d be a waste to waste him.
imho

[Joanne98]

6. Maybe they'll whip him out the back door of prison and enslave him.

He's already talked so they can't be happy.

[comtec]

9. True but bringing him to the US, he'll simply disappear.

And his skills really are too great to just kill him!

I think worse case he ends up in club fed doin work where they can keep an eye on him, and deny his actions
"that IP is for a prison!! please be more creative Mr. China!"

[InkAddict]

11. In a double cell with Michael Riconisciutto, PROM IS software bastardizer, LOL.

n/t

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. I should have done this a long time ago.

I'm putting you and your crazy ass UFO conspiracy gibberish on ignore.

[steaa]

14. Maybe his job will be setting passwords on all user accounts.

He got access to the NASA/US Airforce and Navy machines by scanning for accounts with no passwords, then once he had access he installed a program to allow to him to access them at a later date. The script and program were not his own, he simply downloaded them and used them.


He is far from a high skilled hacker.

[Regret My New Name]

17. What kind of asshats handle security for our government agencies?

[hunter]

15. He scanned for computers nobody had bothered to set up passwords for.

Real high tech stuff there... not.

But the morons who left sensitive information on computers that had no passwords would like us to think it was some kind of techno-wizardry.

This is an odd guy who is obsessed with UFOs. He wanted to see what NASA and the military knew. Not smart, but he probably did some good exposing the venal stupidity and corruption of U.S. contractors. Whatever it cost our government to patch up these holes is probably what should have been spent by the contractors who set the machines up.

This entire episode is good old USA cover-your-ass-at-all costs bullshit, and who cares who goes to jail.

If Britain extradites this guy or sentences him to anything more than community service there will be riots.

[pattmarty]

7. Quick, bring him over here and maybe he and Tony Blankley can team up.

[dipsydoodle]

8. The main issue here

is that those arseholes we could call our government here in the UK were stupid enough to sign a one way extradition agreement with the USA - it doesn't work in reverse.

Fuck Tiny Blur.

[LeftishBrit]

10. I suspect what really makes them angry...

is that he's shown that they didn't do that good a job on their computer security. Puts them in a bad light.

[Blue_Tires]

12. what a weirdo...

[hunter]

16. Nasa and the military are riddled with corruption.

This odd fellow on a quixotic quest exposed some of it and now they want his blood.