Posted on 05/22/2010 1:16:35 PM PDT by JoeProBono
I met Gary McKinnon a few years ago and interviewed him over a beer. Over time I have come to the conclusion that despite the serious hacking crimes he committed, he needs help and a period of coummunity service, rather than a 60 year prison sentence.
McKinnon certainly broke the law and caused damage when he hacked into US military systems. He may not have deleted files, or damaged software, but security specialists had no choice but to rebuild each machine he compromised. That is expensive, time consuming, and disruptive.
But I believe that McKinnon is telling the truth when he says that he was motivated to hack into US military computers by a desire to prove that the US government is covering-up evidence of UFOs.
He talked passionately about his late night hacking episodes, discovering pictures of UFO's on military servers and evidence of a US space-corps. Sadly, for UFO conspiracy theorists, no evidence of his discoveries survives.
Why are the US authorities so keen to extradite such a misguided soul ? One rumour going around security and law enforcement agencies might offer an explanation.
According to this latest theory, Russian intelligence had been running a covert programme to lure young people with Aspergers syndrome into hacking US government systems.
You could imagine how a few rumours of UFO cover-ups and a little hacking advice at UFO discussion groups could have enticed impressionable people like McKinnon into attacking US military servers.
Is there any truth in the story ? I don't know, but I am told the idea is being seriously discussed in the security community.
The timing of the rumour is also interesting. This week McKinnon won a reprieve from extradition, at least for now, when the new Home Secretary, Theresa May, adjourned a judicial review in to the case.
What do you think ? Is there any credibility to the rumour ?
Gary McKinnon (born 10 February 1966) is a Scottish hacker facing extradition to the United States on charges of perpetrating what one US prosecutor claims is the "biggest military computer hack of all time," although McKinnon himself states that he was merely looking for evidence of free energy suppression and a cover-up of UFO activity and other technologies potentially useful to the public.
I’m not sympathetic. Hackers should be treated like the common criminals that they are- it is no different than breaking and entering, followed by vandalism or theft. The claim that “I was just trying to point out security lapses...” doesn’t fly because many people have only windows and doors to protect their property. Any common burglar could say “that window wasn’t proper security, and I was just trying to point that out...”
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Ohhhhh,, so he wasn’t a criminal, he did it to help the Russians! Well then lets let him out!!
If it was up to me, i would give virus writers and guys like him the death penalty. Screw em,, they cause untold millions of dollars of damage. Let him rot if he can’t be executed.
Amen,, this is the only crime where the victim is blamed unless they have phd in computer security and close every hole. And again,,, death penalty for the ones that launch viruses. And yes,,, i’d flip the switch.
Col. Steve Wilson, USAF versus Dr. Henry Kissinger Cosmic Q, level 33
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