Manage updates with the Download App
Gary McKinnon has a lot to worry about. His job prospects are bleak. He will shortly have to leave his home in North London and could be facing up to 70 years in a U.S. federal prison--a prospect that terrifies him.
His actions have been well-recorded. Over a period of years he managed to bypass the security of what should be the most sophisticated IT systems on the planet, many of which belong to the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA.
That was back in 2002. McKinnon has already been investigated thoroughly by the legal authorities in the United Kingdom and released without charge. But what some see as the slow-working cogs of the U.S. legal system are clicking into action now--leaving him hanging in limbo as he awaits a hearing later this month that will determine whether he's to be extradited. He's accused of hacking and causing damage to federal defense systems. Paul McNulty, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, said in 2002 that "Mr. McKinnon is charged with the biggest military computer hack of all time," according to several publications, including CNN.
The unemployed UFO enthusiast was, metaphorically speaking, able to walk right in, look around and make himself at home in what are supposedly some of the most secure systems in the world. Although breaking into the Department of Defense required a combination of ingenuity and hours of mindless drudgery, ultimately, McKinnon says, it was the "dangerously lax IT systems" that made it possible, he claims. And as for the "minor" damage to the systems concerned, it was not deliberate, he said, but happened accidentally while he was trying to cover his tracks.
McKinnon, now 39, admits that there was a period of his life when he was "addicted" to computers. It threatened his life, his health and his relationships at the time, but he couldn't leave them alone.
His interest in IT was sparked, as it was for many others, by an interest in science, science fiction and the unknown. It was the search for proof of extraterrestrial life and suspicions about federal policies and actions in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, that led him to the restricted government sites in the first place.
McKinnon's story, some say, raises critical issues about the rights of British citizens accused of committing crimes in the United States, the state of IT security internationally, and the possible existence of antigravity technology in a U.S. military establishment.
Q: Why do you think the U.S. authorities behaved the way they did, with an extradition order?
McKinnon: Well, the reason they give is that I, on my own, closed down the entire metro district of Washington for a few days, including a weapons station, which I dispute.
My thing was being quiet and not being seen and getting the information out. And also, when I was there, you do a NetStat routine and you see all the other connections to that machine, and there is a permanent weakness for foreign hackers because their security is not even lax, it is nonexistent. You wouldn't believe it.
They might claim that by installing a remote control program, I opened them (the systems) up, but the access was already there. I didn't even have to crack passwords.
What about the damage you are said to have caused?
McKinnon: What they call damage is really just them realizing that they have been accessed without authorization. Then they say things like I deleted 300 users, deleted systems files and such. That was one instance when I did a batch file to clean up all my stuff--I think once and only once, though perhaps I ran it on the root drive of the "c:" drive. But it certainly wasn't every machine I was on and, if you believe them, they talk about 94 networks being damaged.
Surely all the data was backed up anyway?
McKinnon: Well, it should be, and it should be behind a firewall, and the local administrator should not have a blank password. Take one defense computer, where they use image-based installation techniques where most of the machines have the same BIOS, the same hard drive, the same hardware specification, and you just whack it out across the systems. Unfortunately for them, the local system administrator's password was blank. So you don't even need to become the domain administrator. That's 5,000 machines all with a blank system level administrator password. To be fair to them, as I got deeper into it, they closed me down pretty quickly.
Did it worry you, this lack of protection for systems?
McKinnon: I was always very frightened when I realized there were always other people from all over the world on there. These were like foreign ISPs, routinely going through things. It is very worrying that it is the world's only superpower, and it is that easy to breach security.
What were you doing prior to the most recent arrest?
McKinnon: I wanted to get the trailing documentation to screw the Americans. I looked at things and I didn't like what I was seeing. They talk about the war on terror, and meanwhile they are training people in
45 comments
Join the conversation! Add your comment
This obviously went nowhere after five years, but still it shows what this guy's about. I guess his conceded addiction to computers "and the unknown" has had other effects.
Break the law do the time that's my motto.
It doesnt take a leap of logic to consider its possible the US government (with their billions in R&D and the worlds brightest minds on the payroll) may have realized this long ago and are still developing the technology.
If they are then it becomes rather natural that they would want to protect their ace in the hole until its ready. So if a researcher in finland figures out something early, the best thing to do is discredit their work by claiming the results cant be reproduced. Once thats declared, who would bother to try it again independantly considering how expensive and difficult the experiments are?
It may sound pretty consipracy theorist but you cant very well exclude the possibility completely simply because it seems unlikely. 100 years ago if you tried to tell people there was a device that could heat up their food with invisable radiation they would call you a whackjob. Today theres a microwave oven in nearly every home.
It is possible to counteract gravity.. thats a given. The problem is that its very difficult to do today outside of very specific circumstances.
It's already well established that failing to lock all your doors and windows in your home isn't an excuse for a burglar to enter your home and steal from you.
Do NOT give this clown any respect, he's still a common thief.
I also fail to see him as a thief. It's a simple breach of security. In regards to another reply, it would be more like sneaking in your house and watching your t.v.
He's just another hacker that the government wants to take down. On a side note, hacker is a very legitimate title for him. It used to mean someone who explored the realms of the computer world. Now it means a computer intruder or criminal. Either way, it fits well. The term 'hacker' is not being glorified, just properly used.
I think the idea of the U.S. having antigravity capabilities is very possible. I personally don't believe the military nor the government has the ability to control the media. But then, if they can, perhaps they believe people will think it is a hoax?
that, my friend is s***. The government is keeping secrets from us forever, do you remember when the government revealed those things that were once denied. Sooner or later they will be forced to give us antigravity.
He broke into the DOD and nasa's system and got caught. Hes entiled to all the rewards that he earned (good, bad, & ugly).
Granted some of the charges are probly trumped up from hair splitting the law. If he gets a fair US trial by jury then the crap gets let go.
As far as anti grave, PBS's nova and a few other science shows have pointed out we already have the techology to do anti grav. aka levatation.
The problem is it uses gigwatt magnets. To record the event the cameras have to placed far from the action and depend on the zoom ablites. Add by the shear size of this thing, its limmited to only ounces of nonmetal material its all but impraticle and very costly to use .
Why do we even glorify the term "hacker"? Technically, he's not even that.
This guy broke laws (in another country, remotely or otherwise). Criminal trespass, espionage, ... DCMA, etc... Its not whether he just put in a wrong web address but that he actually probing and forcing entry into private systems (lax security...that is speculative...)
Another case of blaming others when you are the problem. And is that his ugly mug shot? "Yellow eyes, I swear he had yellow eyes" (Christmas story...)
The story out of this one is "Who's the admin, and did he or her get a pink slip?"
to generate a force to suspend a body within a gravity field.
He is a hacker, he explored NASA and found government secrets.
People who attack banks and steal money, are crackers
I am a hacker and I hate crackers
I wish I had the courage to go into NASA, I thought they had an awesome security
For this guy to break into some high level systems, he isn't anywhere remotely in the same league as a "common thief".
But he is right about one thing - For this guy to break into some
high level systems, he isn't anywhere remotely in the same league
as a "common thief". This guy is well past 'common thief' in terms
of the damage he has done, even if it was 'unintentional'
I suspect espionage is the biggie. Most countries have harsh sentences for it.
In this post-9/11 paranoia (actually, everyone IS out to get the Federal government. But the form of their distrust appears irrational - hence it could still be considered paranoia) era, where anything anti Federal government is seen as "fair" game, he's lucky he isn't in Gitmo.
they have , are , and will continue to lie to the public about most thing's
I know because stuff I saw and worked with in 1981 in the service is just now being reviled to the public
that said I thought Obama was gonna release stuff kept from the public up till now??
I'd like to know more about anti-grav , ufo's underground bases , ect..........
20yr's ago this work was done by reporters , but now since Gov. controlls the press [specialy FOX and all Rupert Murdock owns 90% of all media outlets] people have no choice but to hack this info
and let's be truthful somewhere there's a room in the C.I.A. where people sit all day and hack other Gov. computers so U.S.A. Gov.is not innocent
and truthfully other that keeping technology in the hands of the rich so they can get richer what's the since in hiding UFO, and other info I mentioned secret?
If I know UFO's are real will I be able to make one ??
hell no!!
the reason this stuff is secret is simple either they have made deals with the aliens or the rich want to be richer
think about it people have known for years about atomic bombs , and how many country's have made them?
of course some info on that subject is secret as should some on most subjects that concern national security
but to hide and lie about it completely makes me think new world order and Bush admin and farther back of course
no I find this man and a few other whistel blowers to be hero's and we need more people like him hopefully in the reporter proffesion
In truth most things hiddin from the public are hurtfull to the public
he revealed secret government conspiracy to the public and you refuse to believe him
we should demand the government give us access to all information
And stop blaming someone who was able to break your codes. It does not take too much to do it. Instead of accusing, look into your own errors and patch the systems. Use Unix which is stronger than Windows...
And instead of sending Gary McKinnon to jail, pay him big money (like all overs at government headquarters) and beg him to work for you! Maybe this way US will learn something, since nowadays, it looks like noone at the top knows what's going on in the country and what people need!
Off course Gary did brake into the systems and it's a crime in US, but it should be a good lesson to US arrogance about country's lack of ability to protect themselves. Learn something - US government - do not make others your scapegoats!!!
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.demotivate.org/pages/posters/solution/solution.htm" target="_newWindow">http://www.demotivate.org/pages/posters/solution/solution.htm</a>
Pete
The American military IT departments, which would be huge by any estimate, should be ashamed of themselves. Blank passwords; they deserve to be hauled over the coals for an indiscretion so basic in IT for security.
They have no right blaming this fellow when they are so incompetent.
he is non-violent and probably won't serve too much time. if he had messed around with royal navy logisitics during wartime i am sure his name would be expunged from public records and he'd be disappeared for a long time.
@mrgls: you say US ought to extradite? The IRA example doesn't fly - people who commit crimes in another country and then come to the US should be extradited. People who commit crimes in UK and then stay there, should be tried there. Simple logic.
So, kudos to the Brits for not extraditing, even though they are wusses for stating that the "proper place" for the trial is in the US, and refusing to try him themselves.
Another thing. He could never get a fair trial over here anyhow. The gov't is way too invested. And they seriously trumped up the charges, I wish Barker (the columnist) had focused more on those supposed damages - which really amounted to having accidentally deleted a user file from a single computer that had analogous copies in place on almost every other computer in the network. Which resulted in disrupting functions routed through that computer until somebody found the problem and restored the file from backup. OK, yeah, that was kinda bad, but aside from a few hours salary for a couple IT guys, no real money loss involved.
Extraditing here to the U.S. is a waste of my taxpayer dollars.
And yes there is alot of research on antigravity devices.
This guy is brilliant but needs to be harnessed.... The guys that sh ould be disciplined are the ones in charge of security and flaws in their systems.....
Put all hackers to work on unsolvable problems..
I do it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBdcrgikSgY
911 Loose Change (full-length)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E3oIbO0AWE
The man that killed 2 alien greys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbONIQfQmDU
Alien Species 2 - Greys and Reptilians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWR6WE4z20g
TOP SECRET 2012 ALIEN CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN USA AMERICA!!!! MUST SEE SCARY!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CZ4fKqOskk
Alien - Cattle Mutilations 001
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w98Fh_iltkY
TRUTH and PROOF of UFOs/ALIENS ***DISCLOSURE PROJECT***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AszlpCgJLhw
Scary NWO Alien Ufo 2012 Illuminati Freemason Conspiracy P1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ceer79yQw
The New World Order is Here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PpMdTmVMpo
The New World Order is Here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PpMdTmVMpo
He was introduced to what he did, who he was and what they called him on Fox News then abruptly disappeared from Fox. Fell from the face of the Media. Why the case? I am not sure, but from what I am seeing, Gary is winning.
A nightmare for NASA and how are they going to defend themselves against him? They can't. Instead they consist on saying he damaged their networks in an attack to cover what they really have hiding. Being NASA they can't state that "Gary hacked into our database and found a picture of a legit alien craft on the Apollo Moon mission."
I have once took pride in the country I live in today, The USA. I took pride in the military and took pride in out Leaders. Whilst searching, I come across a record of all sorts of Conspiracies and Cover-up's by top Authority figures and people, it is not an excuse, It is just as much real as the ground you stand on this very minute. Goofy skeptics/debunkers that claim to be experts has made me realize that something is going on.
Not just the USA but the world, but no other country has lied this much to their people especially on the UFO/Extra Terrestrial Life subject and these thick headed fool skeptics take being lied to as a great deal. It's time to wake up and stop thinking we are advanced, and stop denying other life within the Universe, or Multiverses in QP.
-8 December 8, 1941: America declares war on Japan.
-Monday, August 6, 1945: "Little Boy" was dropped on Hiroshima
Following on August 9, the detonation of "Fat Man" on Nagasaki.
-Roswell Crash: On the evening of July 2, 1947, several witnesses observed a disc-shaped object moving swiftly in a northwesterly direction.
-In July of 1952 a panicked government watched helplessly as
squadrons of "flying saucers" flew over Washington, D.C., and
buzzed the White House, the Capitol Building and the Pentagon. It
took all the imagination and intimidation the government could
muster to force that incident out of the memory of the public.
Today-60 years of Lies.
Now, you may say we are the only high-tech beings out there. Let's compare the differences from 1941 starting from ww2 to 2009.
- Total number in United States forces during WW2. Army: 8,300,00 Navy: 4,204,662 Marines: 599,639 and the Grand total is 13,104,355. Total US casualties 996,242. This is without the technology taken from the Crash at Roswell.
-Roswell. Decorated EX-US Intelligence Officer, Phillip Corso Claims Not only that UFO's are REAL, but that the US Military has harvested Advanced Technology from them. He was considered One of the Top Military Men in His Field. He was responsible for bringing Alien Technology to Military Labs and Civilian Scientists and they used it to make Lasers, Fiber Optics, Integrated Circuits, Night Vision Image Goggles and Bullet Proof Vests. A piece of Super Strong Metallic Cloth that may have protected the Aliens in their space craft. A tube that appears to shoot a Searing Red Light, may have been a Surgical Instrument or a weapon. An Alien Made Headband, according to his reports, might have been used to Transmit Thoughts or control the Alien Craft. An imprinted set of Miniaturized Circuits, perhaps a Prefabricated Micro Circuit. A flexible wire that might have transmitted light through its interior. And a Lense that could allow possibly anyone to see in the dark, supposably taken from the Eye of an Alien Being. According to Corso, scientists Wernher Von Braum and Robert Oppenheimer have access to the Roswell Crash Site. And so Government in the US along with Government around the world have "Gone out of their way to keep that wrapped up inside a riddle that is Smothered by an Enigma."
Your average skeptics claim that the technology Corso announced was ready to emerge anyway. As proof to strike back at the skeptics, they offer up the "Mind Control Head Band" from the alien technology that Corso did not claim to Develop. And today its on its way to becoming a reality without his help.
-Iraq War, March 2003-February 2009. US troops named dead: 4,155. US troops reported dead: 9. Total Dead: 4,164. US Wounded: 30,182.
Those whom claim "We were the ones that Invented what they recovered from the craft" are usually the ones born with a 3 to 5 inch thick skull with a daily decrease of knowledge.
That is your lesson for today you doubtful skeptics!
As for Gary McKinnon, You claim him to be a common thief, but he is trying to do the people a favor. As McKinnon has said,"How do you steal information that has all these years rightfully belonged to the People?" NASA is creating excuses because they are backed in a rut. Those who think differently, claiming him as a thief, should disappear for a long time, a criminal, or a typical hacker then here is a suggestion, you might as well brainwash your"Wife" and your "Kids" minds with Lies, send them off to NASA to cover up more of their BS.
Respect goes out to the people who see the real light, as for his political motivations to bring the truth to the people! If he does get sent to prison from 70 years, there will only be an increase of hacking attempts to NASA, Pentagon and any other secret DataBases that the US Harbor's. People from China and Russia have been doing the same for a number of years. Cyber Militias will increase as they already exist today, and if they continue to hide it from the people you will have in the future, Cells in the US whose motivations are pressurizing the government physically (Hopefully not by Killing people) by nationwide riots and destruction of Govt property. People whom have a Military background of Any Kind will be in the ranks of those cells. People, this is not a joke. This is real and you are only seeing the Cyber attacks and Intrusions to retrieve information that rightfully belongs to the people.
This country is supposed to be run by the people, for the people, and to the people, and it certainly seems to be the other way around. If this keeps up, there is bound to be Terror groups that arise within the 50 states. The people will grow fearless of Authority, and what then? Fear is nothing but an illusion given by consequences by Authority figures whom are like us. As soon as people realize that, as soon as they see people as people, not people as celebrity, not people as serial killer, not people as government leaders, it will lead out of control. Life however, is better on the other side for where Lies do not exist.
Let him go. Lock up with the buffoon who ghosted thousands of machines with blank admin passwords and then left them live on the network. Gary didn't do any hacking. He simply stumbled on an unlocked bank. NetStat?... Really?... A mofo netstat....? Since when is that hacking? Now here it is I'm trying to get security clearance and idiots that the administrator for the network at one of the US's most secure installations makes a rookie mistake like that. Let Gary go. Fire your Admins. Hire me!