Global Dispatches: London man arrested for hacking U.S. agencies

Computerworld - London Man Arrested in U.S. Govt. Hacking Case
Police in London arrested an unemployed computer systems administrator last week, more than two and a half years after U.S. authorities said they would request his extradition to answer charges of hacking U.S. federal computer systems.
Gary McKinnon, 39, was arrested at his home in northeast London, according to a spokeswoman for the city's Metropolitan Police Service. He was released on bail last Wednesday after a court hearing on extradition.
Although McKinnon was indicted in a U.S. District Court in Virginia in November 2002, London police received the extradition warrant only recently, the spokeswoman said. The warrant alleges that McKinnon gained illegal access and made unauthorized modifications to dozens of computers belonging to NASA and the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Department of Defense between Feb. 1, 2001, and March 19, 2002, she said.
McKinnon allegedly obtained administrator privileges on a number of government computers and then used that access to delete user accounts and install software enabling him to remotely control the systems, according to his indictment.
• Peter Sayer, IDG News Service
Germany Sets Nov. Start for Biometric Passports
DUSSELDORF, Germany -- Germany plans to be among the first countries in Europe to issue biometric passports, starting Nov. 1, the Interior Ministry announced earlier this month.
The new passports, valid for 10 years, will include an embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that will initially store a digital photo of the passport holder's face. Beginning in March 2007, prints of the holder's index fingers will also be stored on the chip.
Germany's biometric passports are based on specifications approved in May by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which has its headquarters in Montreal. The RFID chip can be read only by certified reading devices, and only when the passport is open, officials said.
The U.S. government has set an Oct. 26 deadline for European Union countries to issue biometric passports, but the EU is negotiating for an extension .
• John Blau, IDG News Service
Wi-Fi Network Goes Into Australian Bush
SYDNEY -- One of the largest rural wireless networks in Australia was officially launched last week at The University of Queensland's Gatton campus. The UQconnect wireless network is designed to provide round-the-clock Internet access to make it possible for teachers and students to move beyond the traditional classroom and do outside research.
The university, located 100 kilometers from Brisbane, has invested more than 50,000 Australian dollars ($37,800 U.S.) to develop the Wi-Fi network, which has 20 access points,