The United States accused Gary McKinnon, a Scottish man, of breaking into Defense Department and NASA computer networks. McKinnon confessed to committing the crime in order to uncover the truth behind the secrecy surrounding Free Energy and UFOs (Gold, 2014). His illegal acts are said to have been affected by his autism. His extradition to the United States has been postponed many times while the two countries worked out the right way to sentence him. McKinnon's extradition was ultimately rejected, and he did not face the charges in his home country. This decision marked the end of the 10-year legal battle, and he would be free from the crime committed as a result of his obsessive search for the truth (Stringer, 2009).
Garry McKinnon actions remain to be the most cited in relation to the cyber-crimes and cyber security. In most cases, attempts to restore the situation is made impossible as a result of the time gap between cyber-crime activity and its discovery. The gap becomes unbridgeable and thus, taking swift actions for prosecution is curtailed. McKinnon used his computer that had a Windows Operating System in the infiltration of the largest military organization in the world. Since childhood, he was curious and always fascinated about UFOs and ETs' theories, and the hacking was motivated by the movie, War on Games. Before the September 11 attacks, cyber-crimes were considered as lesser crimes, and little emphasis was put on them, thus easily making his way into the computers of the US Defense. Through his creativity and intelligence, he managed to develop a computer program that would aid in his wrongdoings. Besides, it is true to argue that he was calculative, something brought out in the progress he made at a time when laws on computer crimes were not well developed. Little if no emphasis was laid on cyber security by companies and governments, a flaw that he managed to capitalize on. Besides, the need to secure passwords was of less significance thus, rendering the infiltration to be an easy task.
Impacts of the Widespread Intrusions
Successful cyber-attacks are associated with far-reaching implications ranging from financial losses, the loss of confidence and trust from the consumers and, the theft of intellectual property. Recent studies have estimated the overall loss linked to cyber-crimes in the society and the government to be approximately billions of dollars annually (Flowers et al., 2013). External cyber-attacks have become common in the recent years and have been attributed to extensive damages in organizations and companies. The criminals are now organized and causing damage for pay, blackmail, extortion or challenging one another. This form of attack is done over the Internet and manage to bypass and circumvent the security measures of corporations and governments. On the other hand, the internal cyber-attacks, which can be more damaging, happens within an organization or an agency. The relatively bigger damage in this form of attack is attributed to the insider knowledge regarding an internal source. A good example is a police officer exchanging sensitive information with foreign powers for money.
The threat posed on the military technology by the cyber-criminals results to nations being less secure through the strengthening of adversaries. Besides, it harms aerospace's export market, a country's high-tech products and exposes the advanced materials for the possible warfare. A close association exists between the cyber espionages directed towards commercial targets and the cyber espionages on the military technology. Previous studies have revealed that the engagement in the cyber espionage improves the capabilities of cyber-attacks (Johnson, 2016). It is not easy to effectively assess the loss in the military technology using monetary a measure, but it is certain that the terms of engagement favor the foreign competitors. Other studies have been done on the effect of these malicious activities on the job market. A report by the United States Commerce Department estimated that a loss of $100 billion associated to the cyber espionage translated to the loss of approximately 508 000 jobs (Flowers et al., 2013).
McKinnon in the Theory Context
McKinnon's activities best fit the description of nonviolent cyber-crimes. The category has activities that have no physical harm or damage to people. Instead, the actions result in financial loss or social harm. Under the nonviolent cyber-crimes is cyber trespass which is commonly referred as hacking. Just like McKinnon did, this form entails the access of a computer network without authorization. It may not specifically be motivated by the need to misuse the information or the data but rather proving the capability of one to others or discover secrets. Apart from this hacking done on the Defense Department and NASA, other notable ones are the ones on AIMS, RBI and the Bhaba Atomic Research Center. Unlike other cyber-crimes in this context where it is hard to identify the culprit, McKinnon was identified as the source of the trouble. However, as a result of undefined and unspecified jurisdiction in regard to the cyber world, Clifford (2001) noted that it is hard for the victims to identify the culprits.
Extraditing Cyber-Criminals
The effort to extradite McKinnon can be considered as being a political stunt. It was primarily done to get mass attention in the deterrence of cyber-crimes directed towards the US. Although extradition has been done in other cases, it is not an effective way of curbing cyber- crimes. Most nations have restricting laws regarding the extradition of their citizens and opt to have them tried in their jurisdictions. Besides, under the international law, there is no state that is obliged to turn over suspects to the requesting entity (Borchgrave et al., 2001). Even though there are some countries which have signed treaties to make this possible, the process tends to be long, expensive and drawn out. It is on this ground that extradition is regarded as ineffective and the best way to deal with it is using an international force compelling individual states to address the cyber-crimes within the territory. Treaties on extradition often call for double criminality in that; the crime must exist in both jurisdictions where the extradition is sought.
Enhancing Computer Security
Computer security entails measures taken in the mitigation of cyber-attacks. It is paramount for employees, citizens and consumers to be aware of various forms of cyber threats and the necessary steps for the protection of the information. In the minimization of the falling a victim of cyber criminals, several steps can be taken. The most common ones are the use of a strong password and ensuring that the computers used to handle confidential data and information are secure. A strong password entails a combination of different characters, mostly letters, numbers and special characters. Besides, computer users as advised to avoid using the same password for different accounts or writing them down. On the other hand, securing one's computer entails observing three key things. The firewall should always be enabled as the first line in the cyber defense. Firewall is essential in blocking those connections from various suspicious traffics caused by hackers or viruses. Securing the computer also encompasses the installation of antiviruses and antispyware software. Other important measures include installing the latest system updates, securing wireless networks, protecting one's e-identity and protecting the data on the computer. The protection of the data is mostly achieved through the encryption of sensitive files such as financial records.
Conclusively, Gary McKinnon's case remains to be one of the most cited examples regarding the problem of dealing with trans-border cyber criminals. The ideas of threatening to prosecute him in the American soil were effective in the prevention of other potential hackings. The process of extradition is usually politically laden, and in most cases, the international laws subordinate the States' laws. The hack was an eye-opener to the US and other developed states in the world who wish to protect their confidential documents. Therefore, McKinnon was both a destructive person and a useful tool in exposing the flaws in the nation's security that needed to be worked on. Computer crime is currently considered an international issue of concern that calls for collective efforts in dealing with it. There is, therefore, the need to relentlessly and collectively fight the battle and readjust the international policies in dealing with this form of emerging technological crime. Before achieving these long-term goals, it is essential to underscore short term procedures and measures that guarantee the security of one's computer whether over the Internet or not.
References
Clifford, R. D. (2001). Cybercrime: The investigation, prosecution and defense of a computer related crime.
Borchgrave, A., Cilluffo, F. J., Cardash, S. L., & Ledgerwood, M. M. (2001). Cyber Threats and Information Security: Meeting the 21st Century Challenge. Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Flowers, A., Zeadally, S., & Murray, A. (2013). Cyber security and US legislative efforts to address cybercrime. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 10(1), 29-55.
Gold, S. (2014). Get your head around hacker psychology [Information Technology cyber Security]. Engineering & Technology, 9(1), 76-80.
Johnson, M. (2016). Cyber Crime, Security and Digital Intelligence. Routledge.
Stringer, R. (2009). Extradition looms as the fires of hell burn for Gary McKinnon.
