A Briton lost his appeal on Tuesday against extradition to the United States for allegedly hacking into US defence computers in what has been dubbed the “biggest military hack of all time”.
Gary McKinnon, an unemployed computer expert who lost his appeal in the High Court, said he was searching for evidence of UFOs when he hacked into US computers and was not intending to disrupt security.
Lord Justice Maurice Kay and Justice Goldring dismissed his appeal, saying: “We do not find any grounds of appeal.”
Using software available for download on the internet, McKinnon allegedly hacked into computer networks operated by Nasa, the US Army, US Navy, the Department of Defence and the US Air Force from 2001 to 2002.
The estimated loss to the various military organisations, Nasa and private businesses was about $900 000, the US Justice Department said.
British Home Secretary John Reid last year granted a US request to extradite him for trial, but the defendant’s lawyers argued that he had been subjected to “improper threats” and the move would breach his human rights.
His supporters say McKinnon is being made a “scapegoat” for the shortcomings of security policies on US military networks. — AFP