Re: Slightly OT - BBC interview Gary McKinnon


Message posted by Francois on May 07, 2006 at 14:13:07 PST:

> Sadly, the computer security part of his story I believe. Classified data pours into unauthorized hands at an alarming rate.

I think he got caught in a honeypot (a fake server or network of servers set up explicitely to catch would be hackers). All banks, insurance companies, and government agencies have them. Most honeypots will have data that looks "too good to be true" (UFO pictures, nuclear plant layouts, list of credit card numbers, H-bomb plans, etc... ) to lure the hackers in. Had it only been boring Excel files, he would probably simply have turned away, but the 16-color image of a Space 1999 Eagle kept him intrigued long enough to get caught.


In Reply to: Re: Slightly OT - BBC interview Gary McKinnon posted by The Major on May 06, 2006 at 13:06:52 PST:

Replies:



[ Discussion Forum Index ] [ FAQ ]