Alleged computer hacker Gary McKinnon of the United Kingdom has publicly admitted to compromising computer systems belonging to NASA and the Department of Defense. Using information from your classroom, additional materials provided by your instructor, and your own independent research, discuss the impact of these widespread intrusions, and comment on McKinnon\’s self-proclaimed motivations. Describe McKinnon in the context of the frameworks and theories of cyber-crime and cyber criminals discussed in the classroom. Are the efforts to extradite McKinnon to the United States simply a political stunt, or are they an important precedent in prosecuting international cyber-crimes? Finally, share what you know about computer security and best practices to make recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Your submission should be a minimum of four pages in length, and it should conform to Help write my thesis – APA formatting and citation standards. A title page and reference list (Help write my thesis – APA style) are mandatory, but they will not count toward the four-page requirement.
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Alleged computer hacker Gary McKinnon
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Alleged computer hacker Gary McKinnon
Introduction
Gary McKinnon is one of the people who successfully hacked NASA and other military systems in the United States. The incidence shows the effects of intrusion that include loss of data and a negative reputation. McKinnon’s behavior can be analyzed using social learning theory and moral disengagement theory. It is important to appreciate that more hacking attempts are likely to occur in the future. Therefore, governments and organizations should take various measures to prevent intrusion (Kouttis, 2016). The purpose of the paper is to analyze the alleged computer hacking by Gary McKinnon, the negative impact of intrusions, theories describing the behavior of hackers, and the recommendations to prevent hacking.
Impact of these Widespread Intrusions
Intrusions cause a negative impact on individuals, businesses, and governments. One of the common impacts is the loss of reputation in public. Websites that are hacked are deemed as weak or less competent to withstand cybercrime (Kouttis, 2016). For example, when NASA was hacked among other military computers, the people were concerned about the commitment of the government to stop cybercrime. Intrusions can also lead to loss of important data that hackers can use against government or owner. In the example of Gary McKinnon, it is alleged that he copied various files and deleted others (Kouttis, 2016). They can also cause conflict between two nations and suspicion about their commitment to fighting against cybercrime. For example, in the case of Gary McKinnon, he was not punished in the way the United States government expected. Therefore, in the future, countries become suspicious of each other.
McKinnon proclaimed that his intension of hacking into the United States military and NASA systems was to look for evidence of free energy suppression. However, committing such an act cannot be justified with a mere claim (Kouttis, 2016). Hackers also may defend their actions with different types of excuses. The bottom line is that he caused harm and thus justification is not necessary (Kouttis, 2016). The proclamation is a reflection of various arguments hackers use to intrude into systems, but they are not justifiable.
Frameworks and Theories of Cyber-Crime and Cyber Criminals
The case of McKinnon can be explained using the moral disengagement theory. The theory states that individuals engage in activities that are against the moral code of conduct but try to justify their actions (Der Walt, 2017). Similarly, after committing crimes against the United States government he would attempt to justify his actions. The actions of McKinnon also align with the arguments of social learning theory. The theory states that people engage in activities they have learned or acquired from other people. It also claims that people will engage in criminal activities due to various motivations (Der Walt, 2017). Another theory that explains the actions of McKinnon is the social control theory. The theory indicates that due to online anonymity people believe there is permission to engage in deviant behavior (Der Walt, 2017). McKinnon did not interfere with the security systems of his country the United Kingdom but would attack a foreign country due to the permissiveness of online anonymity.
The different theories explain the circumstances under which people commit online crimes such as intrusion. McKinnon was not justified in all his actions (Der Walt, 2017). He did not convince the government and the justice system that he was merely looking for evidence. Additionally, due to the anonymity, he left anti-American messages that he would continue attacking the systems (Der Walt, 2017). He also condemned their systems calling them ‘crap.’ Therefore, he had further intentions to carry out other online criminal activities against the United States.
Prosecuting International Cyber-Crimes
The proceedings to extradite McKinnon were merely a political stunt that did not deliver justice according to the law. Theresa May who was then the Home Secretary announced that the extradition had been blocked due to the health conditions of McKinnon (Der Walt, 2017). Theresa May indicated that extraditing McKinnon was against his human rights due to his medical condition. Therefore, the suspect would end up taking his own life or dying in a foreign country. The actions of the government indicate the commitment to pursue justice.
The action of the United Kingdom is an indicator of how governments still operate when their citizens are accused of cybercrimes. Governments may be a party to international treaties that support the extradition of criminals but they do not obey the stipulations (Shin et al., 2018). It is an important precedent that the United Kingdom established of not extraditing McKinnon for appropriate punishment in the United States. It is thus a way of encouraging other criminals to continue hacking government systems. The precedent shows that governments should consider their commitment to international justice (Shin et al., 2018). The commitment should be demonstrated by the actions of extraditing individuals or punishing severely to ensure justice and prevent similar incidences in the future.
Recommendations to Prevent Similar Incidents in the Future
Intrusions are likely to happen in the future, but governments and organizations can adopt various measures to secure their assets. One of the best approaches is to encrypt their data using the best technologies available today (Shin et al., 2018). Encryption allows systems to develop codes that ensure hackers cannot benefit from data even if they gain access to it (Shin et al., 2018). One of the reasons the massive hacking was rampant in early 2000 is the poor adoption of encryption.
It is important to track user behavior or systems to detect any suspicious activities. For example, users who log in for a long time or log in several times within a short time should be investigated. Hackers also can spam a system thus making it inoperable (Shin et al., 2018). Governments must invest in tracking devices that will block all users who try to spam their sites. Tracking systems are also necessary to detect people who are transferring huge amounts of data. NASA and military systems require frequent updates to ensure they are equal to the task of preventing attacks (Shin et al., 2018). Updating the systems includes investing in strong security systems that will prevent such attacks from occurring in the future.
Conclusion
McKinnon is one of the people in history who have carried out massive hacking leading to loss of data. The incidence is a great lesson that governments can learn on how to prevent such attacks and how to deal with cybercriminals. Governments and organizations should take strict measures since instructions lead to loss of data, negative reputation, and foreign crisis. The case of McKinnon can be analyzed using social learning theory and moral disengagement theory. Although the behavior of McKinnon cannot be justified, the United Kingdom did not extradite him for prosecution in the United States. Therefore, to prevent such incidences from occurring in the future, governments should take various measures such as encrypting their data and analyzing activities to block suspicious users.
References
Der Walt, C. (2017). The impact of nation-state hacking on commercial cyber-security. Computer Fraud & Security, 2017(4), 5-10.
Kouttis, S. (2016). Improving security knowledge, skills, and safety. Computer Fraud & Security, 2016(4), 12-14.
Shin, Y. Y., Lee, J. K., & Kim, M. (2018). Preventing State-Led Cyberattacks Using the Bright Internet and Internet Peace Principles. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 19(3), 3.
