Pentagon Hacker And Extradition Threat Discussion (hopefully) on the US military hacker and his sentence

[shadowx 0]

Hi all

Saw this article on the news last night about the hacker that hacked into the pentagon and NASA systems. A link to the story is HERE in case anyone hasnt seen it.

Basically my question is do you agree with him being extradited to the USA and charged and sentenced to guantanamo? I heard he could face up to 60 years in jail for what he did.

I STRONLGY disagree. I think we need more people like him. He did no harm ATALL! He's not a terrorist because TERRORists spread TERROR (hint their name ) I think he should get a pat on the back. I dont agree that all hackers are bad. What if a hacker destroyed a child pornography network. Hacked into an organised crime gang's website? That would make them good. And in this case I belive this man is good. If he wanted to do it to try and hold the world to ransome with america's arsenal of computer controlled rockets he could have, no doubt, but he didnt. Basically the american government is scared, the world is doubting them, atlast, as they try to rain terror over the east and theyre scared that more people might try that so theyre trying for a hard sentence. And this man was trying to expose the truth for all the world to see.

I might just say that I'm english and I dont think my government is much better than the american one.

So I would like to hear what other people think of this, do you agree? what do you think of the hacker himself? and what does it say for the security of the american government?

[realthor 0]

Don't agree that this deed makes him a good hacker but the american government really overreact and try to show everybody they're tough (scared ) ) And they shouldn't do that but i guess it's just the cover story perhaps they'll gat him in the NASA labs to do some job for some pseudo-liberty, they can't just let such a brain escape. Perhaps seen too many movies , hehe, but it's my opinion on the subject. Cheers!

[Arigato 0]

People should not be hacking in the government databases at all regardless of the reason. It is his fault for hacking and he must have known about the concequences. A crime commited at the federal level can't be taken lightly. If they let him off with a minor sentence then it might encourage others to hack into government systems. So I do think that he deserved the sentence he got.

[wild20 0]

He shouldn't have done it the point. Hacking is not good at all, unless the proper authorities ask you to hack for security reasons or in a sting operation. You could make matters worse or even give someone else who is bad a leading edge. Sure, now we know the computers are not safe, and so does everyone else. What is my point? If you suspect a problem, bring it to two places. The government and the media. If it is on the media, you know the government will take action to help it out. Maybe. It all depends on how you approach it.

Edited April 13, 2006 by wild20 (see edit history)

[BordaForx 0]

No, hacker's aren't good. From what I have read, he was hacking into the government information. First thing wrong was that he hacked. It's simple, hacking is against the law - you shouldn't do it. Second, hacking into government information, that's just stupid. Who would do that?I would say that this man is stupid and deserves life sentence. By doing this, the US is proving a point to hackers that hacking a government site wouldn't be such a grand idea.

Edited July 8, 2007 by BordaForx (see edit history)

[jlhaslip 4]

$900,000 damage? That's peanuts compared to what an F-18 does in one bombing run... Can you spell p-a-r-a-n-o-i-d.

[Galahad 0]

Yes, hacking is illegal... But I don't think this particular person can be called stupid, he did hack into their system! And that system is supposed to be protected by biggest minds on the face of the Earth...As for the damage of $900.000... Maybe I'll sue US government for stress, since they did spend BILLIONS of dollars bombing my city (among others in Yugoslavia)... I personaly hate US governments, all of them, because they always seem to know what's best for everyone, and always stick their noses in other peoples business... And always resort to violence, when someone doesn't want to go along with their ideas... They are a typical bully, all brawn, no brain... I live for the day that the world unites, and once and for all puts US where it belongs... They do not own the world, and we are not here just to serve their ideas and purposes... And the British government taging along, like a puppy, obeying all the commands their masters US give them...So yes, I think this man is being used as a scapegoat, kind of example for others... They say this is serius attack, but he didn't gain access to any vital and confidential information... Just plain stupidity on behal of US government...Hope I didn't offend anyone if this post was a bit harsh, but I hope you understand me... And just to avoid all missunderstandings, I DO NOT have anything against Americans, or British, just their governments...

[rvalkass 5]

The US government is simply trying to make an example of him, to show others what they are capable of. In some ways what he did was beneficial to the US government, as he revealed security holes in their systems, but he used hacking techniques to find them out. Logic tells you it's better to have someone hack into the system and reveal security holes than hack into a system and start a nuclear war. OK, a slight exaggeration, but it could happen.

The term "hacking" is defined as:

attempts to circumvent or bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network.

This brings up the arguement of "good" and "bad" hackers. Many companies, such as banks and security companies, employ prosecuted hackers to check their system security. You could say that the criminals here are NASA and the Pentagon, as they were a liability to the security of the nation, and their systems were open to use by terrorists, but Mr McKinnon's access was unauthorised and therefore illegal.

[Se?or Maniac 0]

I personally find it kind of funny in my opinion. Most of us here live in the worlds strongest country, and we are "hacked" by one single person. Anyways like what was said earlier. The guy got whet he deseved. If we show any type of weakness, their are going to be people *BLEEP* are going to try to exploit it. So I think that we are doing the right thing is this situation. This will also teach others that this type of action will be taken seriously. All that we are trying to do is set an example.