Hacker Gary McKinnon to appeal after extradition (to USA) blow

[demoleft]

Source: bbc

Glasgow-born Mr McKinnon, 43, who has Asperger's syndrome, is accused of breaking into US military computers. He says he was seeking UFO evidence.

Now of Wood Green, London, he faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted.
...
His lawyer, Karen Todner, said: "It's a devastating blow but we are not going to give up. We are certainly coming to the end of the road.

"We're just hoping at some point someone sees sense and steps in. All the legal team do know is we cannot give up because in some ways it's like dealing with a death row case, and we genuinely believe that Gary's life is at stake here."


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8382066.stm

---

"Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, and people with it therefore show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported." (wiki, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome )

gary's mother said the decision about extradiction is "disgusting":

Janis Sharp compared her son's treatment to that of an "animal" today.
"To keep someone in a heightened state of terror for almost eight years is against anyone's human rights," she told BBC Breakfast.
"I wouldn't do it to an animal, you wouldn't do it to an animal, for a person to go through this every second of every day is against anyone's human rights."
The home secretary's decision, described by lawyers as "callous", has prompted fresh fears about McKinnon's wellbeing. The letter rejected new expert medical evidence that McKinnon's health had deteriorated dramatically since losing his case in the high court in July, and meant that extradition would violate his right to life.

source: the guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/27/gary-mckinnon-extradition

[barbtries]

1. did he do any actual damage

or just broke in? seems excessive punishment if the latter.

[demoleft]

2. the US claim he caused damages for some $700,000...

...but i do not know if the claim is justified or really based on true data.
here's from wiki:

"The Glaswegian-born systems administrator, who attended Highgate Wood Secondary School in north London, is accused of hacking into 97 United States military and NASA computers in 2001 and 2002, using the name 'Solo'. The computer networks he is accused of hacking include networks owned by NASA, the US Army, US Navy, Department of Defense, and the US Air Force.

The US authorities claim he deleted critical files from operating systems, which shut down the US Army’s Military District of Washington network of 2,000 computers for 24 hours, as well as deleting US Navy Weapons logs, rendering a naval base's network of 300 computers inoperable after the September 11th terrorist attacks. They claim the cost of tracking and correcting the problems he caused was $700,000."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_McKinnon

[Nihil]

8. No, he didn't do any damage.

He pushed open a few unlocked doors while nosing around for information
on his pet obsession (UFOs) and the embarrassment to the US DoD was so
extreme that they decided to "make an example of him".

It is extremely excessive punishment but no more than we have come to
expect for anyone who exposes the Emperor's nudity.


FWIW, re questions on this thread about "script kiddies":
>> "It is generally assumed that script kiddies are juveniles who lack the
>> ability to write sophisticated hacking programs or exploits on their own"

He used the available information on known weaknesses as a means of entering
the target systems, not any great skills or devious subversive actions.


Yes, he should not have browsed the USAF (etc.) systems.

More importantly, he should not have been able to browse those systems
as the people who were (supposedly) in charge of them were so f*cking incompetent
that they didn't even change default settings in many cases.

Don't you feel safe that your ultra-secure Homeland security organisations
have now "captured", extradited and are about to punish an autistic nobody?

Just think about how many professionals (and serious amateurs) have been in
and out of those systems (and many more) without being noticed ...

[barbtries]

13. thank you for all the details

he could end up doing more time than the woman who killed my daughter did. this is not justice by any means.

[boppers]

3. I'd need more data to form an opinion.

He looks like a script kiddie.

[murielm99]

4. What is a script kiddie? n/t

[SkyDaddy7]

5. Is a "script kiddie" like a hacker wannabe?

...Or just an entry level hacker?

I did see a long interview with this guy and he said he used very simple hacking techniques due to the inadiquit security. He said many computers on the network he hacked had simple passwords or were left signed in...Something like that. I will look for the interview on YouTube.

However, could you explain "script kiddie"? I have always wanted to learn more about writing scripts but not for hacking just how they work.

[bc3000]

9. Script Kiddie is a hacker that doesn't discover his own exploits, but ...

uses exploits and security flaws found by others to break into systems. The term script kiddie comes from the idea that they are mostly kids downloading scripts, or programs, written by others to break in.

[boppers]

11. It's like the difference between a someone who picks locks...

...and someone who looks for an unlocked door.

Both gain entry, but in different ways.

[peace frog]

6. By "script kiddie"

do you mean he looks like he's on prescription drugs?

[bananas]

10. No

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Script_kiddie and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scripting_language

[peace frog]

12. Thanks for clarifying

I had this mental picture of a kid on Ritalin.

[peacetalksforall]

7. Two things are running around in my memory, but not clearly - Bush

using the plural 'internets' and Rumsfeld saying something about operating or establishing a separate 'government' internet.

What network are we talkng about? Are there any links to articles? Links to Rumsfelds actual words?

Could this network be holding the White House e-mail exchanges of Rove and Cheney? Such as the messages related to the Atty General firings?

How secret or super secret is this network?

[Odin2005]

14. 60 YEARS? This fellow Aspie says WTF?

:wtf: :grr: My god, it's not like he hurt anyone, he even alerted people telling them he was able to hack in and they need to improve their security. :cry:

[pescao]

15. Johnson condemns hacker to Xmas in a US jail

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/83794

by Paddy McGuffin (Morning Star)

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon is facing Christmas in a US jail after the Home Secretary refused to block his extradition.

Alan Johnson finally dashed hopes that the government would intervene in the case, insisting there was no evidence that the extradition would breach Mr McKinnon's human rights.

Mr McKinnon's mother Janis Sharp said on Friday that ministers should "hang their heads in shame" for the "barbaric" decision.

His legal team is to apply for a judicial review within days, but Ms Sharp warned that, if that was not granted, then her son could be extradited by Christmas.

...

[hunter]

16. He embarassed some pathetic ineffective fools.

If an odd fellow with very few resources can just walk in the back door and look around then imagine what havoc a state-backed enterprises might cause... say China, Russia, Iran, hell even some semi-starved IT guy in North Korea who's hungry for some chocolate.

[pitohui]

18. kind of reminds me of "the party crashers"

some silly people, w. maybe some personal mental challenges, makes the emperor look all naked and THEY should be put in a cage?

just fix the security screw-up and get on w. your life, and let the ufo-seekers and the celebrity photo seekers get on w. theirs


why do we have to be so cruel?

[hunter]

19. It's the typical behavior of a bully...

... pick on the weak because the strong fight back.

Just how pathetic is the USA that we go after a guy like this?

[pitohui]

17. oh for crying out loud i'd no idea this case was still going on

they're still after this poor guy for their pound of flesh?

why can't we be bigger than that? did this guy ever do anything to hurt anybody? ffs...let it go...