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US Army Computers
'Shut Down By Hacker'
By Catriona Davies
The Telegraph - UK
7-27-5
 
A Briton facing extradition to America for perpetrating "the biggest computer hack of all time" left a message criticising American foreign policy on an army computer, a court heard yesterday.
 
Gary McKinnon, 39, is accused of accessing 97 US government computers, causing damage estimated at $700,000 (£370,000).
 
An extradition hearing at Bow Street magistrates' court was told that McKinnon, of Wood Green, north London, deleted files that shut down more than 2,000 computers in the US army's military district of Washington for 24 hours "significantly disrupting governmental function".
 
It was claimed he left a note on an army computer in 2002 saying US foreign policy was "akin to government-sponsored terrorism". The note allegedly said: "It was not a mistake that there was a huge security stand down on September 11 last year. I am Solo. I will continue to disrupt at the highest levels."
 
McKinnon is accused of 20 counts relating to the American army, navy and air force, Nasa and the Department of Defence.
 
One allegation is that he deleted files and logs from computers at the US Naval Weapons Station Earle at a critical time after the Twin Towers attacks, rendering the base's network of 300 computers inoperable.
 
Mark Summers, for the American government, said: "The defendant was acting from his own computer in London. He effectively owned those computers by virtue of the software he had transmitted. His conduct was intentional and calculated to influence and affect the US government by intimidation and coercion."
 
It is also alleged that McKinnon obtained secret passwords or information which might become "indirectly useful to an enemy", and interfered with maritime navigation facilities in New Jersey.
 
When McKinnon was indicted, Paul McNulty, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said: "Mr McKinnon is charged with the biggest computer hack of all time."
 
The hearing was adjourned until Oct 18.
 
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2005.
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/200
5/07/28/nhack28.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/07/28/ixhome.html

 

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