ul
Shamika Stimus
Gary McKinnon, 57, claims he found evidence of contact with 'non-terrestrial' beings when he illegally gained access to US Army, Navy, Air Force, Pentagon, and NASA computers in 2002. The hacker claimed to have unearthed the secrets that are being held about other life forms living here on Earth as he claims to have seen thousands of images and documents providing 'proof'.
The hacker onslaught didn't occur overnight. It took decades of work by now-famous hackers to discover critical vulnerabilities and reveal the strategies that established the foundations of the internet and its free-for-all libertarianism. Here's a look at the top ten most notorious hackers of all time.
Human nature is heavily influenced by social and family life. This influence can make a person believe in certain concepts which can make him completely obsessed with it. This was the case of famous hacker Gary McKinnon. He was heavily influenced by his stepfather on science fiction and wanted to believe in UFO. He thought the US military system was hiding the fact from the rest of the world. So, he decided to search inside the US military and NASA systems and finally found a way to roam around them silently. He was so obsessed with UFO information and searching for some clue from secret information that he become addicted and forgot to hide his own identity. Finally, he was charged by the US Government and sentenced to 70 years of jail. We have learnings from his act and charges against him. In this paper, we will discuss more on his life, career, motivation, and charges against him and how finally he got rid of everything and is now leading to a normal life
Gibb, F. (2009, February 26). UK hacker Gary McKinnon loses latest fight against extradition for trial. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from The Sunday Times: -hacker-gary-mckinnon-loses-latest-fight-against-extradition-for-trial-n7n9ctbjh26
Kirk, T. (2011, March 03). Fresh evidence made public to help Enfield hacker Gary McKinnon's fight against extradition. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from Enfield Independent: -evidence-made-public-to-help-enfield-hacker-gary-mckinnons-fight-against-extradition/
McKinnon, G. (2006, July 12). Gary McKinnon: Inside the head of a super hacker. (G. Roberts, Interviewer) The Independent. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from Independent: -mckinnon-inside-the-head-of-a-super-hacker-6095677.html
Vijayan, J. (2012, October 16). Update: U.S. 'disappointed' over U.K. refusal to extradite hacker Gary McKinnon. Retrieved March 22, 2020, from Computer World: --u-s---disappointed--over-u-k--refusal-to-extradite-hacker-gary-mckinnon.html
Are many computer networks easy to hack into? He says that out of curiosity he did a scan of large financial institutions to see whether they operated in a similar way, with blank passwords, and found that they were vulnerable to hackers. With so many guides to hacking on the internet, he says learning to be an amateur hacker is not hard. "Even without IT training, I think that in a month you could start doing something similar to what I did."
MP: I actually think he probably is telling the truth, though not for the reasons he thinks. By his own account McKinnon was a rubbish hacker using off the peg software he'd found on the Internet, so it's highly unlikely that he'd have got very far into the Pentagon's networks.
There's an almost identical story from 1996, though it had a happier ending. Matthew Bevan, a 21-year-old computer hacker and UFO enthusiast from Cardiff, found documentation about anti-gravity drives while scouring Wright Patterson AFB's computer network for information about the Roswell incident. Like McKinnon he was arrested and the US sought to extradite him, but failed. Interestingly an AFOSI officer at the trial stated that Bevan wasn't trying to do any harm and was only looking for UFOs, which suggests that they don't take the subject too seriously! Bevan, who was a good hacker, is now a freelance security consultant.
All and all, the above hackers have had a profound impact on cybersecurity through their hacking antics. That said, the actual best hackers in the world could remain unknown simply due to the nature of the business.
dd2b598166