Posted on 06/08/2005 8:31:49 AM PDT by liberallarry
A British man appeared in court today over allegations that he hacked into the US military computer system causing damage worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Gary McKinnon, 39, faces extradition to the US over claims that he accessed 97 government computers over a one-year period. District judge Christopher Pratt granted him bail to reappear for an extradition hearing on July 27.
He was ordered to provide £5,000 security, report to his local police station, not to apply for any international travel documents and not to use any computer equipment allowing him to access the internet as bail conditions. "On one instance, the US army's military district of Washington network became inoperable," Janet Boston, the US government's lawyer, told Bow Street magistrates' court.
In all, his actions caused $700,000 (£370,000) worth of damage, the court was told.
Mr McKinnon, of Wood Green, north London, is contesting the extradition request. He was first arrested in 2002 but action against him was discontinued.
Outside court, his solicitor, Karen Todner, said he was disappointed it had taken the authorities this long to bring him to court.
"This decision for extradition is driven by the American government. Mr McKinnon intends to contest this case most vigorously," she said.
"Of particular concern to him is the treatment of other British nationals under the American judicial system which inspires little confidence.
"We believe that as a British national, he should be tried here in our courts by a British jury."
Mr McKinnon was indicted in the US in 2002 by a federal grand jury on eight counts of computer-related crimes in 14 different states.
Part of the indictment said he hacked into a US army computer at Fort Myer, Virginia, obtained administrator privileges and transmitted codes, information and commands before deleting around 1,300 user accounts.
It was alleged he also "deleted critical system files" on the computer, copied a file containing usernames and encrypted passwords for the computer, and installed tools to gain unauthorised access to other machines.
Further allegations include that he modified US navy and air force computers and copied other files. In New Jersey, he was accused of hacking into a network of 300 computers at the Earle naval weapons station in Colts Neck and stealing 950 passwords.
Because of the alleged break-in, which occurred immediately after the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the whole system was effectively shut down for a week, officials said.
Speaking at the time of the indictment in 2002, Paul McNulty, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said: "Mr McKinnon is charged with the biggest military computer hack of all time."
Many of the computers Mr McKinnon allegedly broke into were protected by easy to guess passwords, investigators said. He downloaded sensitive, but not classified, information about subjects including navy shipbuilding and munitions, it was alleged.
There was no evidence that any information was offered to foreign governments or terrorist organisations, Mr McNulty said in 2002.
If extradited and found guilty, Mr McKinnon - who is known on the internet as Solo - faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a £157,000 fine.
Put him in a cell so deep that they have to pump air into him.
Put him in a cell so deep that they have to pump air into him.
He seems to have shown up an important security breach. Strong passwording at all times, friends!
George Friedman, in his book "America's Secret War", contends that one the principal reasons we went to war was that we concluded that a strong offense was the only possible defense in the modern world. This only confirms it.
Immediately hire this guy!
If he can do this on his own, just think what he could do to uncrack other secure networks, working for the US Govt.
Think Binnie, Kim Il, Mullah, China
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