Security news
Security news28 August 2008
NASA hacker loses final appeal - faces extradition to the United States Sophos comments on the case of Gary McKinnon
Supporters of Gary McKinnon on the internet campaigned for him not to be extradited.
IT security and control firm Sophos is warning cybercriminals of the severe consequences of hacking, following the European Court of Human Rights’ decision earlier this morning that Gary McKinnon will be extradited to the US to face trial on charges of breaking into and damaging US Government Computers.
The so-called 'NASA hacker' from North London, will be extradited to the US to face trial for his cybercrimes within two weeks, following the final decision made by the European courts. Today's verdict comes six and a half years after McKinnon was originally arrested and follows an initial ruling by the British Home Secretary in 2006 that McKinnon should be extradited to the United States, and two subsequent rulings in favour of extradition by the UK Court of Appeal and the House of Lords.
"The US authorities will be rubbing its hands together in glee at the news that they are finally going to get their hands on McKinnon. They have sent a clear message that they are set on hunting down anyone who attempts to breach their computer systems, and compromise their data. Gary McKinnon is now facing the uncomfortable prospect of an American trial," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos said on his blog. "McKinnon has had tremendous support from the hacker community and even ordinary people throughout the duration of his trials, but this decision will still hit hard even after the many years of appeals. The message is clear - if you hack into computers you have to realise that the legal consequences could be severe. Others should take note of McKinnon's predicament and ask themselves: do I want to end up in his situation? I'd imagine the answer across the board would be a resounding ‘no’.”
McKinnon, a self-confessed computer enthusiast, was arrested six and a half years ago after allegedly hacking into computers belonging to the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, Department of Defense and NASA. He claims to have broken into these networks only to uncover confidential information about anti-gravity propulsion systems and extraterrestrial technology which he believed the authorities were hiding from the public. He has led a high profile campaign to avoid extradition, supported by many other computer hackers.
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About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
