Within Damage Claims
Could 56 k Dial Up Really Disable Military Systems?
A 56k modem limited data transfer, but it could still transmit short commands that deleted files, disabled accounts or stopped services.
On this page
- What dial up speed actually limited
- Why destructive commands require little data
- The difference between plausibility and proof
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Introduction
A slow 56k dial-up connection did not prevent someone from causing serious disruption to a remote computer network. In the Gary McKinnon case, this became a key point of public debate because McKinnon often referred to his slow home internet connection when describing his searches for alleged UFO-related material. That argument is relevant to the practicality of downloading large files, but it does not by itself answer whether damaging actions were technically possible.
The central distinction is between moving data and issuing commands. A dial-up modem severely limited the speed at which large files or images could be transferred, yet many administrative actions—such as deleting files, removing user accounts, stopping services or launching system utilities—require only small amounts of network traffic. Whether McKinnon actually carried out the destructive acts alleged by US prosecutors is a separate evidential question that was never resolved at trial. The bandwidth of his internet connection, however, is not a strong technical argument either for or against those allegations.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK Parliament House of LordsUK ParliamentHouse of Lords - Mckinnon V Government of The United States of America and AnotherJuly 30, 2008…
What dial-up speed actually limited
In the early 2000s, a typical 56k modem achieved real-world download speeds of roughly 40–50 kilobits per second under good conditions. Downloading a single 250 MB satellite image could therefore take many hours.
McKinnon himself repeatedly described this limitation when explaining why he viewed alleged NASA images through remote desktop software rather than downloading them directly. According to his own account, the slow connection forced him to reduce colour depth and screen resolution so that the remote display would update quickly enough to inspect an image before the session ended.[Reddit]reddit.comHi, i'm Gary Mckinnon. I was in the news for a decade after getting caught 'hacking' mil/gov systems looking for evidence of UFO/UA…
This bandwidth constraint affected activities such as:
- downloading large databases;
- copying high-resolution imagery;
- transferring software archives;
- moving substantial collections of documents.
It did not prevent someone from maintaining an interactive remote session. Remote administration software of the period, including the commercially available RemotelyAnywhere software referenced in the US indictment, was specifically designed to function over relatively slow internet connections by transmitting compressed screen updates and user input rather than entire files.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
Why destructive commands require little data
The misconception is that causing computer damage necessarily involves transmitting large quantities of data. In reality, many administrative operations consist of extremely small commands.
Once a user has administrative privileges on a Windows system, actions such as deleting files, disabling accounts or stopping services are executed by the remote computer itself. The attacker sends only the instruction; the target machine performs the work locally.
Examples include:
- deleting critical operating system files;
- removing or disabling user accounts;
- changing configuration settings;
- stopping essential network services;
- installing or launching remote administration software.
These commands typically consist of only a few bytes or kilobytes of transmitted data. The resulting consequences—systems failing to boot, users being locked out or services becoming unavailable—occur because the target machine acts on those commands, not because large amounts of information travelled across the internet.
For that reason, the practical ability to issue destructive administrative commands depends far more on authorisation and privilege level than on internet bandwidth.
Why remote administration changes the picture
US prosecutors alleged that McKinnon obtained administrative privileges on numerous military and NASA computers, installed remote administration software and used compromised machines to reach additional systems. Those allegations matter technically because an authenticated administrator can perform actions locally on the target computer with very little network traffic.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeLondon, England Hacker Indicted Under Computer Fraud and Abuse Act For Accessing Military Computers (November 12, 2002)…
The reported installation of RemotelyAnywhere is particularly relevant. Rather than repeatedly transferring programs over a slow dial-up connection, remote administration software allows an operator to interact with the remote desktop and execute commands directly on the compromised machine. Once installed, the remote computer performs nearly all of the computational work.
Consequently, the limiting factor becomes the responsiveness of the remote session rather than the raw speed of the attacker’s modem.
The difference between plausibility and proof
This technical point should not be confused with proof of the prosecution’s allegations.
US authorities alleged that McKinnon:
- deleted critical operating system files;
- deleted thousands of Army user accounts;
- erased intrusion logs;
- impaired the availability of military networks; and
- caused repair costs exceeding $700,000.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK Parliament House of LordsUK ParliamentHouse of Lords - Mckinnon V Government of The United States of America and AnotherJuly 30, 2008…
McKinnon admitted unauthorised access but disputed deliberately causing damage, maintaining that he was searching for evidence relating to UFOs and government secrecy rather than attempting to sabotage military systems. He also argued that his slow home connection reflected the limited nature of his activity.[IEEE Spectrum]spectrum.ieee.orgSpectrum Gary Mc Kinnon: The Autistic HackerIEEE SpectrumGary McKinnon: The Autistic Hacker - IEEE SpectrumJune 27, 2011…
The technical weakness in that particular defence is that slow download speed does not prevent destructive remote administration. It may make exfiltrating large collections of data impractical, but it says relatively little about whether short administrative commands could have been executed.
Equally, recognising that destructive actions were technically possible does not establish that McKinnon actually performed every action alleged by prosecutors. Those allegations were never tested through a completed criminal trial, and extradition proceedings did not determine the factual accuracy of each claimed outage or deletion.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK Parliament House of LordsUK ParliamentHouse of Lords - Mckinnon V Government of The United States of America and AnotherJuly 30, 2008…
The key lesson from the McKinnon dispute
The debate over McKinnon’s 56k modem sometimes obscures the more important technical issue. Bandwidth determines how quickly information can be transferred, but it is a poor indicator of what a remote administrator can accomplish once privileged access has been obtained.
A dial-up connection would have made downloading enormous image files frustratingly slow, consistent with McKinnon’s own descriptions. It would not, however, have prevented the transmission of the short commands needed to delete files, disable accounts or disrupt services if the attacker possessed sufficient privileges on the target systems.
For that reason, the existence of a slow dial-up connection neither proves nor disproves the damage allegations. It weakens claims that vast amounts of data could easily have been copied, but it does little to undermine the technical plausibility of remote administrative actions that require very little network traffic.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: publications.parliament.uk
Title: UK Parliament House of Lords
Link:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldjudgmt/jd080730/mckinn-1.htm
Source snippet
UK ParliamentHouse of Lords - Mckinnon V Government of The United States of America and AnotherJuly 30, 2008...
Published: July 30, 2008
2.
Source: justice.gov
Link:https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2002/mckinnonIndict.htm
Source snippet
Department of JusticeLondon, England Hacker Indicted Under Computer Fraud and Abuse Act For Accessing Military Computers (November 12, 2002)...
Published: November 12, 2002
3.
Source: reddit.com
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/t0imdw
Source snippet
Hi, i'm Gary Mckinnon. I was in the news for a decade after getting caught 'hacking' mil/gov systems looking for evidence of UFO/UA...
4.
Source: reddit.com
Title: Gary Mc Kinnon
Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/148wt0e
Source snippet
Gary McKinnon...
5.
Source: justice.gov
Link:https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2002/mckinnonIndict2.htm
Source snippet
Department of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N...
6.
Source: spectrum.ieee.org
Title: Spectrum Gary Mc Kinnon: The Autistic Hacker
Link:https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-autistic-hacker
Source snippet
IEEE SpectrumGary McKinnon: The Autistic Hacker - IEEE SpectrumJune 27, 2011...
Published: June 27, 2011
7.
Source: hansard.parliament.uk
Title: uk Lords Chamber
Link:https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2026-04-16/debates/6c140942-80af-4d71-ac85-1c7c09b7b32a/LordsChamber
Source snippet
Chamber - Hansard - UK ParliamentApril 16, 2026 — Therefore, in addition to these amendments, the Government are working with Ofcom to cr...
Published: April 16, 2026
8.
Source: questions-statements.parliament.uk
Title: uk Written questions and answers
Link:https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-03-17/HL15679/
Source snippet
questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK ParliamentMarch 30, 2026 — Written questions, answers and statemen...
Published: March 30, 2026
9.
Source: lordslibrary.parliament.uk
Title: uk Digital exclusion in the UK: Communications and Digital Committee report
Link:https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/digital-exclusion-in-the-uk-communications-and-digital-committee-report/
10.
Source: hansard.parliament.uk
Title: uk Lords Chamber
Link:https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2010-01-12/debates/188f0e0d-a834-4ea6-9c8b-1348923b2b68/LordsChamber
11.
Source: api.parliament.uk
Title: computer misuse amendment bill hl
Link:https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/2002/jun/20/computer-misuse-amendment-bill-hl
12.
Source: publications.parliament.uk
Title: uk House of Lords
Link:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldhandbk/hdbk15.htm
13.
Source: parliament.uk
Title: House of Lords
Link:https://www.parliament.uk/lords/
14.
Source: parliament.uk
Title: How to access information from the Lords
Link:https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/house-lords-administration/how-the-lords-is-run/policies-and-procedures/freedom-of-information-in-the-house-of-lords/how-to-request-information-held-by-the-house-of-lords/
15.
Source: GOV.UK
Title: Latest on Gary Mc Kinnon case
Link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/latest-on-gary-mckinnon-case
Source snippet
Latest on Gary McKinnon case - GOV.UK...
Additional References
16.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Hacking for UFOs and fighting for his life. Who is Gary Mc Kinnon? | Nord VPN
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OImdnvQx7sQ
Source snippet
British Hacker Escapes Trial after hacking Military and NASA Computers...
17.
Source: computing.co.uk
Link:https://www.computing.co.uk/news/1855426/hacker-defends-raids-pentagons-heart
18.
Source: ufohackers.org
Link:https://www.ufohackers.org/hackers
19.
Source: independent.co.uk
Link:https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/big-question/the-big-question-what-exactly-did-gary-mckinnon-do-wrong-and-should-he-be-extradited-1766967.html
20.
Source: computerweekly.com
Link:https://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240086153/Gary-McKinnon-broke-into-73000-US-government-computers-Lords-told
21.
Source: theguardian.com
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2008/jun/16/hacking.internationalcrime
22.
Source: youtube.com
Title: UK hacker’s extradition to US blocked
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Js8DF80HY
Source snippet
Gary McKinnon will not face prosecution in the UK...
23.
Source: youtube.com
Title: British Hacker Escapes Trial after hacking Military and NASA Computers
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWitx2r3Pmk
Source snippet
Gary McKinnon wins extradition battle...
24.
Source: theguardian.com
Title: Hacker ‘left note on US army computer’ | Hacking | The Guardian
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/jul/27/hacking.internetcrime
25.
Source: ufohackers.org
Link:https://www.ufohackers.org/hackers/gary-mckinnon/mckinnon-overview