Why do people keep forgetting the one key detail about Gary McKinnon (the master hacker - as some say)?

Question

Youve got people on here proclaiming him a master hacker and saying give the man a job rather than prison time.

Well if he was so good, why did he get caught?

The answer, because he's not very good at all.

The only reason he managed to get into so many systems wasnt because of his brilliance but rather the lax security of the American government departments into which he hacked. Many times he got in because the departments never bothered to change the standard password you get when you purchase the Microsoft software (usually password administrator or password).

He also used off the shelf 'hacking' software to get in. Hardly takes a genius to double click an icon and start a program.

If he really knew his stuff he would know how to get around spoofing his IP address and fooling the system.

Sorry but this guy was a bit of a bumbling fool, who's now paying the penalty for doing something illegal. Simple as that.

Answer 1

A pound to a penny that he winds up working for the American government !

Answer 2

Hacking is an artform - it takes loads of time and practice and transfering small bits of data at low level to get the required information. All that guy did was exploit weak security and c**p firewalls in order to connect to their system. We're all connected to Yahoo's servers now - hardly hacking. That guy did just the same - connected to their servers because there was hardly anything there to stop him. They just put him in prison as revenge for embarrassing them and showing them how c**p they are. They know he didn't mean any harm.

Answer 3

I agree, its the good hackers that no one knows about that are the masters.

Answer 4

Rightly or wrongly I feel very sorry and concerned about this man.  Whether he is a good hacker or not I could not comment on.  What I can say is that the Americans are out for vengence.  Simple as that.  Because he has shown them to be absolute incompetent idiots and microsoft software  to be  basically rubbish.  If anything this man has done them a favour.  They should be the ones to be "fried" not him.  

I am appalled that we are prepared to hand him over and will consider it to  be a grave miscarriage of justice.  Any punishment he has should be in this country.  

I hope his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights is successful, and it is about time we jettisoned the Americans, they are friends of no-one but themselves.

Answer 5

hmmmm

I stole a kinderegg once when I was 6

I haven't been caught yet so does that make me a good thief?

Answer 6

so what he  got into Americas system,not Britain's we may be  so called allies but who's to say we will not be  enemy's one day, America keeps secrets form Britain & i hope vice versa, now can britain use him to our benefit? he is a british citizen & it should be tried by his pears not another country our government sells  the british people out to easy,