It is a little over the top, this guy used over the counter kiddy tool and ‘hacked’ into systems because of blank passwords.

Not rocket science, and apparently the machines he had access to were air-gapped, or segregated from the networks containing sensitive information, so the charges are greatly trumped up and are NOT relative to his offence.

The UK’s hacking community has strongly criticised how fellow hacker Gary McKinnon has been treated.

Accused of hacking into US military computer networks, Mr McKinnon this week is expected to find out if he is to be extradited for trial in the US.

British hackers say he is being made an example of to serve political ends rather than improve computer security.

The punishment he faces, up to 70 years in jail, was also too harsh a sentence for the crimes he has confessed to.

70 years? For hacking into some minor grade web servers and finding some mostly declassified information.

Mark, and another attendee Rat, suggested that Mr McKinnon was being treated harshly to send a message to the rest of the hacking community to clean up its act.

“But,” they said, “the idea of clamping down on some unlucky guy and threatening him with 70 years in jail will not make the blindest bit of difference.”

“All [hackers] think they will not get caught,” said Mark.

Rat said that almost every message received by the blogs set up to document Mr McKinnon’s treatment and the progress of the court case had been supportive.

Dr K, another UK hacker interviewed by the BBC News website, questioned why Mr McKinnon had to be extradited to be tried for the crimes for which he has already confessed.

He got sloppy and he got caught, he made a mistake. He really doesn’t deserve to get 70 years for what he did.

No one is saying he didn’t do anything wrong, but branding him a terrorist is going a bit far, I don’t think the US needs to make an example of him in this way.

Source: BBC News