Hacker Gary McKinnon Faces No Further Action

[astr0144]

Hacker Gary McKinnon Faces No Further Action

Computer hacker Gary McKinnon will face no further criminal action, the Director of Public Prosecutions has announced.

The decision follows a review of the case after the Government's decision to block his extradition to the US in October on health grounds.

Mr McKinnon, 46, from Wood Green, north London, would have faced up to 60 years in prison if convicted in the US of alleged breaches of US military and Nasa networks.

Prosecutors had to decide whether Mr McKinnon should be tried in Britain over the allegations but said the appropriate place for trial would have been the US. That means no further charges will be levelled.


http://uk.news.yahoo.com/hacker-gary-mckinnon-faces-no-further-action-150852196.html

[Pimander]

Did McKinnon cause any harm to anyone?  No.  Case closed.

[astr0144]

I am pleased to find out that Gary Mckinnon has away with it..

A long prison sentence would had seemed wrong under the circumstances..

Its a tricky one though... IF he had discovered some real evidence of UFO / Alien activity with NASA... then no doubt it would be something that we all would like to know about...

But if he had exposed something that was a threat to the USA National security... then no doubt it could have been serious....

( That is if one believes that those involved are not corrupt)

[Sgt.Rocknroll]

Did McKinnon cause any harm to anyone?  No.  Case closed.

Pim that wasn't the point. Whether he did harm or not is irrelevant. The fact that he tried and was successful WAS the point.

[Pimander]

Pim that wasn't the point. Whether he did harm or not is irrelevant.

It may me irrelevant to you.  However, it is not to the government or people of Britain where he is a citizen so tough luck!

Imprisoning a guy who harmed nobody and has already effectively been a prisoner in his own mind for many years is immoral.  The fact that certain people on your side of the pond cannot see that tells me that the decision to refuse extradition was a good one.

The fact that he tried and was successful WAS the point.

The fact that he was successful when he could not get into British systems is simply a reflection or either incompetence by the US authorities or it was a trap for foreign intelligence.  Either way it should be somebody other that a geek with Asperger's Syndrome who is held responsible - namely the commanding officer in charge of the data.

[Ellirium113]

The fact that he was successful when he could not get into British systems is simply a reflection or either incompetence by the US authorities or it was a trap for foreign intelligence.  Either way it should be somebody other that a geek with Asperger's Syndrome who is held responsible - namely the commanding officer in charge of the data.

Your right about the poor security, if you ever watched his interviews he mentions he had found other activity that he had thought was odd and it ended up being other hackers in the system already.

IF he had discovered some real evidence of UFO / Alien activity with NASA... then no doubt it would be something that we all would like to know about...

Well he did uncover a roster and ship names of secret operations in space. This helps solidify the fact there is a lot going on up there that we may think is alien activity when in fact it is our own.

[Pimander]

Well he did uncover a roster and ship names of secret operations in space. This helps solidify the fact there is a lot going on up there that we may think is alien activity when in fact it is our own.

Which means finding any real alien activity is like looking for the proverbial needle.

[Sgt.Rocknroll]

If you've ever had a high US security clearance, and I have, you would understand the point I was trying to make. They don't care what his problem was/is, whether he found anything at all, the mere fact that he got in was the point. And how do you know that the CO that was in charge wasn't punished? Making an example of the smallest breach IS the point.

[Ellirium113]

Well my guess is that the CO likely would not know the level of security on their network because that would be something the network administrator would be responsible for. The CO would likely have to rely on information from the administrator. If they truly want information to be secure all they need to do is pull out the network cable and have a stand-alone workstation. No one gets info off the PC unless they are physically on it.

[Sgt.Rocknroll]

By CO I was meaning whoever is in charge, be it net admin, cyber security, whatever!

[Pimander]

I do understand your point.  However, in my opinion, this is a fair result.  McKinnon, does not suffer any more than necessary, the UK Home Secretary get a few kudos points with her citizens, the Brits assert their sovereignty and the USA get to make diplomatic noise but are not in the final analysis held responsible for McKinnon not being prosecuted in an American court.  Everyone is a winner.  The fallout from McKinnon spending the rest of his life behind bars would have been far worse.  Think about it....

I think that a deal was done behind the scenes.

[Sgt.Rocknroll]

You're right. In the end, everything turned out for the best. But I think the point was made.

[zorgon]

Well he did uncover a roster and ship names of secret operations in space. This helps solidify the fact there is a lot going on up there that we may think is alien activity when in fact it is our own.

NO He didn't   He gave us NOTHING  not one name of one ship... not one name of one officer yet he is 'famous'

Yet here at Pegasus we gave you the name of the commanders of that secret NAVY space program and we get mere whimpers


Hmmm I feel a thread coming on....

Well I get to say "I TOLD YOU SO"  because I have been sating for years that nothing would come of this

[zorgon]

The fact that he tried and was successful WAS the point.

Oh good grief...

WHY is this guy worshiped so much? He didn't access any top secret networks... he simply went into NASA comps that had no passwords.

NASA comps that are on the public web not on SiPRNET or NiPRNET or JWICS where the secret stuff is.  He said he saw some names and pictures of spaceships and could not remember ANYTHING  not ONE NAME. He forgot his comp has a PRINT SCREEN option... he forgot his comp has a TEMPORARY INTERNET CACHE that records everything you saw that day...

He is a fvcking MORON that was doped up and by his own admission, a poster boy for why you shouldn't do drugs.

IF he had actually hacked a secret network,  maybe there would be something there
IF he had actually PRODUCED anything,   maybe there would be something there

But he gave us NOTHING and most likely what he saw was the picture of the spaceships on that NASA screen saver on the ISS computer

If guys like him are the 'heros' of this venue... its time I hang up my hat...

[petrus4]

NO He didn't   He gave us NOTHING  not one name of one ship... not one name of one officer yet he is 'famous'

I strongly suspect that an NDA would have been part of the agreement, which ultimately led to the ruling to block extradition.  That he isn't saying anything, does not mean for a moment that he didn't find anything.