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Gary McKinnon

Gary McKinnon, also known as Solo, (born in Glasgow in 1966) is a British hacker accused by the United States of perpetrating the "biggest military computer hack of all time." Following legal hearings in the UK it was decided in July 2006 that he should be extradited to the United States. In February 2007 his lawyers argued against this ruling in an appeal to the High Court in London ^[1], which was turned down on April 3 ^[2]. He still has the possibility of appealing to the House of Lords, and his lawyer has stated that he will do this^[3] within 14 days using the argument that because the alleged offences were committed in the UK this is where he should be tried. He has been offered political asylum by the Principality of Sealand. ^[4] Image File history File links Current_event_marker. ... Image File history File links GMKtrafalgar. ... Image File history File links GMKtrafalgar. ... Glaswegian redirects here. ... Hacker is a term applied often to computer software or computer hardware programmers, designers and administrators, and especially those who are perceived as experts or highly accomplished. ... All of the modern meanings seem to be rooted in its widespread use as slang throughout the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), starting in the 1960s. ... Extradition is the official process by which one nation or state requests and obtains from another nation or state the surrender of a suspected or convicted criminal. ... Her Majestys High Court of Justice (usually known more simply as the High Court) is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, part of the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales (which under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, is to be known as the... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as the Lords. The Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as the Commons), and the Lords together comprise the Parliament. ... Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her... For other meanings see Sealand (disambiguation). ...

Background

The computer systems administrator is accused of hacking into 97 United States military and NASA computers in 2001 and 2002. 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 estimates claim the costs of tracking and correcting the problems he allegedly caused were around $700,000 . A BlueGene supercomputer cabinet. ... A system administrator is a person responsible for running, or running some aspect of, a computer system. ... This article is about the American space agency. ... This article is about the American space agency. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The United States Department of Defense (DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

McKinnon was originally tracked down and arrested under the Computer Misuse Act by the UK National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) in 2002 who informed him that he would face community service. The Crown Prosecution Service refused to charge him. Later that year he was indicted by the United States government. McKinnon remained at liberty without restriction for three years until June 2005 (after the UK had implemented a new extradition treaty with the US [which the US congress has not ratified]) when he became subject to bail conditions including a requirement to sign in at his local police station every evening, and to remain at his home address at night. In addition he was banned from using a computer with access to the Internet. There have been no more developments in respect of the charges relating to United Kingdom legislation but in late 2005 the United States began extradition proceedings. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 is an Act of the UK Parliament. ... The National Hi-Tech Crime Unit is a section of the National Crime Squad, a British Police organisation which deals with major crime. ... In the common law legal system, an indictment is a formal charge of having committed a serious criminal offense. ... The government of the United States, established by the United States Constitution, is a federal republic of 50 states, a few territories and some protectorates. ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... The word bail as a legal term means: Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that persons appearance for trial. ...

If he is extradited to the U.S. and charged, McKinnon faces up to 70 years in jail and has expressed fears that he could be sent to Guantanamo Bay.^[5][6] He has said that he will contest the extradition proceedings and believes that he should face trial in the UK, principally as he argues that his "crimes" were committed there and not in the United States. Extradition is the official process by which one nation or state requests and obtains from another nation or state the surrender of a suspected or convicted criminal. ... Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 Guantánamo Bay detainment camp serves as a joint military prison and interrogation center under the leadership of Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO), has occupied a portion of the United States Navys base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002. ...

In an interview televised on the BBC's Click programme,^[7] he claimed that he was able to get into the military's networks simply by using a Perl script that searched for blank passwords; in other words his report suggests that there were computers on these networks with the default passwords active. The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... Former presenter, Stephen Cole Click (previously Click Online) is a television programme made by the BBC covering news and recent developments in the world of consumer technology. ... Perl is a dynamic programming language created by Larry Wall and first released in 1987. ...

Statements to the media

During the length of time between his indictment and beginning of extradition proceedings, with a growing media interest in his case, Gary McKinnon has had a number of opportunities to address the media.

At the Infosecurity Europe 2006 conference in London on April 27, 2006, McKinnon appeared on the Hackers' Panel. When asked how his exploits were first discovered, McKinnon answered that he had miscalculated the timezone — he was using remote-control software to operate a Windows computer while its user was sitting in front of it. April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ...

McKinnon has admitted in many public statements to unauthorised access of computer systems in the United States including those mentioned in the United States indictment. He claims his motivation, drawn from a statement made before the Washington Press Club on May 9, 2001 by a group of high level ex-military and civilian sources known as "The Disclosure Project", was to find evidence of UFOs, antigravity technology, and the government suppression of "Free Energy", all of which he claims to have proven through his actions.^[8] May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (130th in leap years). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Disclosure Project is a not for profit orginization dedicated to disclosing, unclassifying, and conducting hearings related to Shadow Governments, U.F.O.s, extraterrestrial life, advanced technologies. ... UFO redirects here. ... AntiGravity is a group of New York gymnasts/performance artists. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In his interview with the BBC he also claimed that "The Disclosure Project" says there is "extra-terrestrial and origin and [they've] captured spacecraft and reverse engineered it." He also claimed to have downloaded a low-resolution image of "something not man-made" and "cigar shaped" floating above the northern hemisphere. He said that unfortunately he did not manage to get a screenshot or recording of the image because he was "bedazzled" to see the image, could not remember the capture function in the software RemotelyAnywhere, and that he was "cut off" from his connection.^[9]

The charge that he perpetrated "the biggest military hack of all time" is disputed by McKinnon who characterises himself as a "bumbling computer nerd". He refers to previous documented incidents of hacking including May 2001 when as acknowledged by U.S. government contractor Exigent International one or more hackers broke into a U.S government server storing satellite software and stole code. Evidence led investigators to an e-mail service in Sweden but the culprits were never apprehended. In 1997, two California teenagers and a trio of Israeli hackers were arrested for hacking into Pentagon servers. Israeli hacker Ehud Tenenbaum, then 18 years old, and his two teenage accomplices were not extradited, but were prosecuted by local authorities. McKinnon has also claimed that on many occasions he noticed other hackers unlawfully entering the same systems and suggests that his activities were not unique. The U.S. Pentagon has for example in the past cited as many as 250,000 attacks in a single year. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article is about the U.S. military building. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ehud Tenenbaum (Hebrew: אהוד טננבאום), known as The Analyzer, is an Israeli hacker who became known after hacking into several computer systems based in the United States, including military ones. ...

Legal Developments

Gary McKinnon

Gary McKinnon's extradition hearing was determined by the provisions of the UK Extradition Act 2003. Image File history File links Gary-mac. ... Image File history File links Gary-mac. ... The Extradition Act 2003 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Under this Act there is no requirement for an extradition request from the United States to contain prima facie evidence of the charges. Following earlier adjournments a final court hearing was held on 10 May 2006 at Bow Street Magistrates' Court. The court recommended that he be extradited. Look up prima facie in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (131st in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Bow Street Magistrates Court has been the most famous magistrates court in England for much of its existence. ...

The adjourning of earlier hearings was occasioned by a request from the defence to obtain the following assurances: that Gary McKinnon would not be tried by a military tribunal, will be eligible for parole and will not have to serve his sentence at Guantanamo Bay. At a hearing on 12 April 2006 the prosecution produced an unsigned note from the US Embassy, claimed to be a guarantee that McKinnon would not be tried under U.S. Military Order 1 (November 13, 2001 - 66 Fed. Reg. 57,833 "Military Order"), which allows suspected terrorists to be tried under military law. However, the defence argued that the note was not binding as it was unsigned. The defence called as a witness Clive Stafford-Smith, a US-based lawyer who has defended inmates of Guantanamo Bay. Stafford-Smith argued that the note would not prevent McKinnon from being treated as a terrorist. Detainees upon arrival at Camp X-Ray, January 2002 Guantánamo Bay detainment camp serves as a joint military prison and interrogation center under the leadership of Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO), has occupied a portion of the United States Navys base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2002. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Clive Stafford-Smith is a British born human rights lawyer based in the United States and practising US law. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

However in the final hearing on 10 May 2006 District Judge Nicholas Evans, ruling in the case, said he had received assurances that Mr McKinnon would be tried in a federal court in Virginia. He added that "any real - as opposed to fanciful - risk" of Mr McKinnon being sent to Guantanamo had receded.^[10] The case has been taken up again in the High Court in February 2007. His lawyers have stated they will again ask the Home Secretary to refuse extradition on the grounds that his human rights (under European Union law) have been violated [1]. May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (131st in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

The final decision in cases of extradition rests with the UK Home Secretary. On July 6, 2006 Home Secretary John Reid decided to allow the extradition "for charges connected with computer hacking". According to a Home Office spokesman: "Mr McKinnon had exercised his right to submit representations against return but the secretary of state did not consider the issues raised availed Mr McKinnon." In respect of U.S. Military Order 1 it has been noted that recently such military tribunals have been ruled illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court, and may conceivably have been an influence in the Home Secretary's decision.^[11] The Secretary of State for the Home Department, known as the Home Secretary, is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales and for immigration and citizenship for the whole United Kingdom (including Scotland and Northern Ireland. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... John Reid may refer to: John Reid (UK politician) (born 1947), British politician, cabinet minister and current Home Secretary. ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

McKinnon's appeal against the extradition order was quashed by a High Court judge on April 3, 2007. ^[2] April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ...

References

"The State vs. The Hacker" by Nigel Watson in UFO Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 5, July 2006, pp32-37. February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 21 is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

• Free Gary McKinnon website
• SATAN Network Security Tool

News

• DOJ indicts alleged British hacker November 12, 2002
• United States v. Gary McKinnon November 2002 (pdf)
• Military 'hacker' freed on bail 8 June 2005
• World's Biggest Hacker Held 8 June 2005
• Brit hacker fights being sent to U.S., New York Daily News 9 June 2005
• Game over, The Guardian, interview 9 June 2005
• Critical editorial of Gary McKinnon 11 July 2005
• BBC Profile: Gary McKinnon 15 February 2006
• UK hacker 'should be extradited' 10 May 2006
• Interview in The Observer April 22, 2007

November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (131st in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Multimedia

Audio

• August 2005 BBC World interview
• June 2006 Binnall of America interview
• August 2006 OUT-LAW Radio interview
• March 2007 Hacker Voice Radio interview

2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in August August 31: Michael Sheard August 26: Lord Fitt August 24: Jack Slipper August 24: Maurice Cowling August 24: Dr. Tom Pashby August 23: Brock Peters August 22: Lord Lane August 21: Robert Moog August... June 2006 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Extraordinary renditions. ... August 2006 is the eighth month of that year, and has yet to occur. ... March 2007 is the third month of the year. ...

Video

• April 2006 Hacker's panel at Infosecurity exhibition
• May 2006 BBC Click interview
• June 2006 Project Camelot interview at his local pub
• July 2006 BBC News reports