He says he hacked for truth and justice. His successors just want your cash, says alan connock
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Following the verdict of a district court judge today, British hacker Gary McKinnon now faces extradition to the US to face trial for what they call "the biggest military computer hack of all time". If convicted he faces up to $2 million (£1.1 million) in fines and 70 years in jail.
McKinnon is the last of a dying breed of hackers, the type immortalised in films from WarGames to The Matrix, who believed their amateurish, but nonetheless illegal, actions were driven by some higher purpose. A loner (McKinnon's hacker name was "Solo"), he searched through the night for hidden secrets, just as some would do a crossword.
While the US government alleges McKinnon caused $700,000 (£375,000) worth of damage to Nasa and Pentagon computers, he claims he was just trying to uncover the truth about a UFO cover-up. McKinnon says he
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| Gary McKinnon is the last of a dying breed of amateur hackers immortalised in films such as WarGames and The Matrix |
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found this evidence, but the files were too large to download with his 56k modem.
Today's hackers are far better equipped. Firstly, there are the so-called "Script Kiddies" - people who have done a quick web search to find the hundreds of programmes you can use to attack any Windows-operated computer. They don't really understand how the programmes work; they just want to cause trouble.
Beyond them, the reality today is that most hacking is about cash. According to a survey this week by Panda Software, 70 per cent of the viruses they detected had a financial motive. And unlike hackers of old, who might simply have left a calling card, this new breed is made up of criminals who want your bank details rather than the thrill of cracking a computer system.
Now, if you know where to look, you can easily find websites with links to the Russian mafia which offer the services of organised teams of hackers who will target PCs and use them for cyber-crime on your behalf. 
FIRST POSTED MAY 10, 2006
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