British hacker faces extradition hearing
By Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service
June 13, 2008
Gary McKinnon could become the first British hacker extradited to the U.S. for allegedly deleting data and accessing information on U.S. military and NASA computers
A British hacker fighting extradition to the U.S. on computer hacking charges is preparing for his final U.K. appeal on Monday in London.
If Gary McKinnon loses this appeal, he would be the first British hacker extradited to the U.S. He could face up to 60 years in prison.
McKinnon, of London, is accused of deleting data and illegally accessing information on 97 U.S. military and NASA computers between February 2001 and March 2002. He’s been charged in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
McKinnon admitted to using a program called “RemotelyAnywhere” to hack into PCs late at night when employees were gone. His hacking exploits started to unravel after McKinnon miscalculated the time difference between the U.S. and U.K., and one employee noticed their PC was acting oddly.
