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It is a little over the top, this guy used over the counter kiddy tool and ‘hacked’ into systems because of blank passwords.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The UK’s hacking community has strongly criticised how fellow hacker Gary McKinnon has been treated.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
British hackers say he is being made an example of to serve political ends rather than improve computer security.<\/p>\n
The punishment he faces, up to 70 years in jail, was also too harsh a sentence for the crimes he has confessed to.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
70 years? For hacking into some minor grade web servers and finding some mostly declassified information.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
“All [hackers] think they will not get caught,” said Mark.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He got sloppy and he got caught, he made a mistake. He really doesn’t deserve to get 70 years for what he did.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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