Skip the navigation

Massive hacking spree halted; man indicted

By Dan Verton
November 12, 2002 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Federal prosecutors from Virginia and New Jersey today indicted a British citizen on eight counts of computer fraud related to hacking incidents that allegedly damaged 105 U.S. government, military and corporate networks.
At a news conference here this afternoon, Paul J. McNulty, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the U.S. will formally request the extradition of Gary McKinnon, a 36-year-old unemployed computer systems administrator living in London. McKinnon remains free in London pending presentation of evidence to law enforcement officials in the U.K., said McNulty.
McKinnon, known by his hacker handle "Solo," is charged with seven counts of computer fraud and related activity in Virginia and one count in New Jersey stemming from a yearlong hacking spree. The indictment alleges that between March 2001 and March 2002 McKinnon broke into and damaged 92 computers belonging to the Pentagon, Army, Navy, Air Force and NASA, as well as six systems owned and operated by private U.S. companies.
Once inside a network, McKinnon is alleged to have installed remote administration and hacker tools, copied password files and other sensitive but unclassified files and deleted user accounts and other critical system files. In at least one instance, McKinnon's hacking activity allegedly caused a major military network in Washington to shut down for three days in February. The estimated losses stemming from his hacking are estimated to be $900,000, according to the indictment.
"The significance of this case is that [with] his access to these records, he was able to impair the integrity of the data on these systems," said McNulty. McKinnon allegedly "scanned tens of thousands of systems" before taking advantage of known vulnerabilities in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system installed on the targeted computers.
The indictment filed by the U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey charges McKinnon with one count of intentional damage to a protected computer. The charge stems from his alleged hacking of a computer used by Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, N.J. That computer was used by the Navy to monitor the identity, location, physical condition, staffing, battle readiness and resupply of Navy ships in the area of the complex. Between April and June 2001 McKinnon allegedly stole 950 passwords stored on seven servers connected to the NWS Earle network and used that access to damage and force the shutdown of the NWS system on Sept. 23, two weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
In addition to the military and NASA systems compromised by McKinnon, the indictment filed in Virginia



Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Cybercrime and Hacking White Papers
Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...
Protecting Point of Sale Systems from Targeted Attack
If you are responsible for protecting retail systems, download this case study to learn how this retailer eliminated the threat of malware on...
From the Frontline - Preventing APT
Is your company's network secure? Are your endpoints and servers secured? Before you answer, read this case study on a US Military Command...
Stop Hackers Before They Attack
Hacktivism, Identify Theft, Financial Gain, Cyber War - regardless of motivation, stopping today's hackers requires a new proactive approach to protecting endpoints. Learn...
The four rules of complete web protection
As an IT manager you've always known the web is a dangerous place. But with infections growing and the demands on your time...
All Cybercrime and Hacking White Papers
Cybercrime and Hacking Webcasts
WikiLeaks: How am I Affected?
The latest WikiLeaks episode has raised questions about how organizations and governments protect their sensitive information. While this incident was isolated, it has...
Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
All Cybercrime and Hacking Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs