Gary McKinnon is a hacker in the U.K. that was responsible for one of the biggest military hacks of all time.  He tried to break into NASA’s security data to find out if UFOs exist.  McKinnon claimed that he did not cause any damage to NASA’s systems as part of the hack, but the U.S. government claims he stole 950 passwords and deleted files responsible for replenishing supplies of an Atlantic fleet.

This event took place in 2001 and the estimated damage was about $700,000.  The U.S. government filed to have McKinnon extradited from the U.K. to face trial.  A British Court ruled that they would not stop the extradition last week.  But now McKinnon’s mother is attempting to make a plea with U.S. President Barack Obama to stop the litigation.

The U.K. court that said that they would not stop the extradition based their decision on the fact that they do not have enough evidence to reflect upon the seriousness of the charges being held against him by the U.S.

“After so many years, it would be refreshing to see Mr. McKinnon actually have his day in court,” stated Scott Christie, who served as a New Jersey assistant U.S. attorney and was one of the first prosecutors brought into the case. “But as I’ve come to learn, nothing is certain until he actually steps foot on U.S. soil, so I will withhold my feelings of relief.”

“Obama, please hear about us,” pleaded McKinnon’s mother Janis Sharp. “Stand by us and make this world a better place, a more compassionate place. Please hear us, Obama. I know you’d do the right thing.”

McKinnon’s attorney Edward Fitzgerald said that McKinnon has Asperger’s Syndrome, a neurological disorder that is related to autism.

Making the case more interesting, rock group Pink Floyd singer David Gilmour is apparently recording a song for an upcoming CD that is made to support McKinnon.

British hacker Gary McKinnon was responsible for one of the biggest military hacks of all time.  He had admitted to data intrusion to find out whether UFOs exist.  The computers he attacked belong to NASA.

McKinnon said that he did not cause any damages while hacking NASA’s systems, but the U.S. government claims that he stole 950 passwords and deleted files that were necessary for replenishing the supplies of an Atlantic fleet.  This took place in 2001.  The U.S. government also believes that McKinnon disrupted military network operations conducted after 9/11.  The damages caused by McKinnon’s behavior is estimated to be around $700,000.

The lawyers of McKinnon is claiming that the hacker is too sick to travel to the United States.  McKinnon has Asperger’s Syndrome which they are claiming could drive him to suicide if he travels to the U.S.

The House of Lords and the European Court of Human Rights have approved McKinnon’s extradition to the U.S. so it is very likely that he will end up going.  If McKinnon is not extradited to the U.S., he may face less serious penalties in the U.K. courts.  The matter is under judicial review by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

Gary McKinnon hacked into U.S. military computers in 2001 to find out whether UFOs exist.  The U.S. military computers that McKinnon penetrated included those that belong to NASA.  McKinnon believes that he did not cause any damage after hacking into the systems, but the U.S. government alleges that he stole 950 passwords and deleted files necessary for replenishing supplies for an Atlantic fleet according to PCWorld.com. If McKinnon is tried in the U.K., he said he would plead guilty.

The U.S. government believes that deleting files and stealing passwords wasn’t the only crime committed by McKinnon.  They believe that McKinnon also disrupted military networks necessary for operations conducted after 9/11.  The dollar value of the damage is estimated to be about $700,000.

McKinnon is currently on extradition to the U.S. for going to court based on a 2008 decision of the European Court of Human Rights.  If McKinnon is tried in the U.K., it is unlikely that he will be extradited to the U.S.

“McKinnon has had tremendous support from the hacker community and even ordinary people – many IT workers have a lot of sympathy for his ongoing plight and would rather see him tried in Britain as opposed to the U.S.,” stated Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant for a security company called Sophos.  “Any form of hacking is illegal and should be punished as such, and hacking into U.S. government networks is bound to come with harsh repercussions — anyone thinking about engaging in these types of activities in the future should think twice. This man’s sorry tale should warn other would-be hackers that they are playing with fire if they break into sensitive networks, and shouldn’t be surprised if the full force of the law goes after them.”

[via PC World]