Within Case Timeline
How One Earle Breach Became a Lasting Foothold
The alleged April breach at Naval Weapons Station Earle established remote access that prosecutors said McKinnon reused months later.
On this page
- Why the Port Services computer mattered
- Installing reusable remote access
- How the April entry shaped later intrusions
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Introduction
The alleged intrusion at Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Earle on 7 April 2001 occupies a distinctive place in the case against Gary McKinnon because prosecutors did not present it as an isolated break-in. Instead, they argued that this first compromise created a persistent foothold that allowed him to return months later without repeating the original intrusion. According to the US indictment, the key step was the installation of commercially available remote-administration software, combined with the later theft of hundreds of stored passwords. This sequence became one of the clearest examples in the prosecution’s narrative of how an initial compromise could be converted into continuing access rather than a one-time entry.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
Unlike broader allegations covering dozens of military and NASA systems, the Earle indictment described a detailed chronology: the first entry in April 2001, repeated returns in June, and another alleged intrusion in September by using the previously installed software. That chronology made Earle the prosecution’s strongest illustration of persistence across time rather than simply repeated scanning of vulnerable computers.[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 the Port Services computer mattered
The April 2001 indictment identified the initial target as the Port Services computer at Naval Weapons Station Earle. Prosecutors described it as the primary system used to monitor the identity, location, physical condition, staffing, battle readiness and resupply status of Navy ships operating around the installation’s pier complex. Because the machine occupied an operational role inside the base’s network, compromising it allegedly offered access well beyond a single workstation.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
NWS Earle itself was responsible for supporting the US Navy’s Atlantic Fleet through the movement of ammunition and supplies. For that reason, prosecutors treated the Port Services computer as strategically significant rather than merely another internet-connected Windows machine. The emphasis was not that the system contained classified UFO-related material, but that it served as an effective platform from which additional network access could be obtained.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
The focus on this individual computer also distinguishes the Earle allegations from many other systems mentioned in the wider McKinnon case, where court documents identify compromised computers but provide far less detail about their operational function.
Installing reusable remote access
According to the New Jersey indictment, the defining event during the April intrusion was the installation of RemotelyAnywhere, a legitimate commercial remote-administration product. Rather than alleging that McKinnon created custom malware, prosecutors argued that he installed standard administrative software capable of allowing internet-based control of the compromised computer. The same software was allegedly installed on other systems connected to the Earle network.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
This distinction mattered because the prosecution’s theory depended on persistence rather than repeated exploitation. Once RemotelyAnywhere had been installed, investigators alleged that it provided a mechanism for reconnecting directly to the compromised machines without repeating the original method of entry. House of Lords judgments summarising the extradition evidence likewise described McKinnon as installing unauthorised remote-access software that enabled later access while helping conceal his activity, together with additional tools for scanning and further compromise.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK Parliament Microsoft WordUK ParliamentMicrosoft Word - McKinnon Appellant v Government of the United States of America Respondents and another.doc…
The allegations therefore describe three linked stages:
- an initial compromise of the Port Services computer;
- installation of persistent remote-control software;
- later reuse of that software during subsequent visits to the network.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
Returning through the April foothold
The indictment alleges that the April installation was actively reused during 18–21 June 2001. Rather than describing a fresh intrusion, prosecutors stated that McKinnon accessed the Port Services computer through the previously installed RemotelyAnywhere software. During these sessions he allegedly copied approximately 950 passwords stored on connected server computers.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
Those password files became an important part of the prosecution’s reconstruction of events. The House of Lords judgment, summarising the US request for extradition, likewise refers to approximately 950 passwords obtained from server computers at Naval Weapons Station Earle as part of the evidence relied upon by US authorities.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK Parliament House of LordsUK ParliamentHouse of Lords - Mckinnon V Government of The United States of America and Another…
From the prosecution’s perspective, the April compromise therefore evolved into something more valuable than simple access to one computer. It allegedly combined persistent remote control with stolen administrative credentials, making later access easier and reducing dependence on whatever weakness had allowed the first entry.
How the April entry shaped later intrusions
The same indictment alleges that on 23 September 2001, after the attacks of 11 September, McKinnon again entered the Earle network by using the previously installed RemotelyAnywhere software together with the passwords obtained earlier. Prosecutors argued that this was a continuation of the access first established in April rather than a completely separate breach.[Department of Justice]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
US authorities further alleged that during this later intrusion he deleted operating-system files and logs, leaving parts of the network inoperable and requiring extensive recovery work. Those allegations became some of the most serious factual claims in the entire McKinnon prosecution because they connected the persistent access established months earlier with operational disruption after 11 September. McKinnon, however, consistently admitted unauthorised access while disputing that he intentionally caused the damage alleged by US prosecutors. Because no US criminal trial ultimately took place, those competing accounts were never tested before a jury.[justice.gov]justice.govDepartment of JusticeBritish National Charged with Hacking Into N.J. Naval Weapons Station Computers, Disabling Network After Sept. 11 (N…
The significance of the April breach therefore lies less in what allegedly happened on that single day than in what prosecutors said it enabled afterwards. Their case presented the April compromise as the moment when temporary access became an enduring presence inside the Earle network.
Why Earle became the prosecution’s clearest persistence example
Across the broader McKinnon investigation, US authorities alleged repeated compromises of military and NASA systems through weak administrative security and the installation of remote-access software. Earle stands out because the charging documents provide a rare chronological chain linking initial access, persistence, credential theft and later re-entry.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK Parliament Microsoft WordUK ParliamentMicrosoft Word - McKinnon Appellant v Government of the United States of America Respondents and another.doc…
That sequence also illustrates a wider security lesson recognised in later court summaries. A successful compromise was treated not as the end of an intrusion but as the beginning of continued access. The alleged installation of legitimate administration software, followed by acquisition of stored credentials, meant that the first breach supposedly continued to generate opportunities months later. Within the overall timeline of McKinnon’s alleged intrusions, this makes the April 2001 compromise at Naval Weapons Station Earle the prosecution’s most detailed example of how one successful entry could become a lasting foothold.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK Parliament House of LordsUK ParliamentHouse of Lords - Mckinnon V Government of The United States of America and Another…
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Endnotes
1.
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...
2.
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 Another...
3.
Source: publications.parliament.uk
Title: UK Parliament Microsoft Word
Link:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldjudgmt/jd080730/mckinn.pdf
Source snippet
UK ParliamentMicrosoft Word - McKinnon _Appellant_ v Government of the United States of America _Respondents_ and another.doc...
4.
Source: justice.gov
Link:https://www.justice.gov/archive/criminal/cybercrime/press-releases/2002/mckinnonIndict.htm
5.
Source: GOV.UK
Title: latest on [gary mckinnon case]({{ ‘mc-kinnon-case/’ | relative_url }})
Link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/latest-on-gary-mckinnon-case
Source snippet
on Gary McKinnon case - GOV.UKNovember 4, 2010 — LATEST ON GARY MCKINNON CASE Find out the latest position on the Glasgow-born systems ad...
Published: November 4, 2010
Additional References
6.
Source: theguardian.com
Title: Briton loses extradition fight over US military hacking | UK news | The Guardian
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/apr/03/politics.usa1
Source snippet
Photograph: John Stillwell/PA [Input] Gary McKinnon. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA Gary McKinnon. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA This arti...
7.
Source: vlex.co.uk
Title: v Lex Mc Kinnon v United States of America
Link:https://vlex.co.uk/vid/mckinnon-v-united-states-793612009
Source snippet
McKinnon v United States of America - vLex United KingdomApril 3, 2007 — MCKINNON V UNITED STATES OF AMERICA [Jurisdiction]({{ 'jurisdiction/' | relative_url }}) | England & Wal...
Published: April 3, 2007
8.
Source: vlex.co.uk
Title: Mc Kinnon v United States of America
Link:https://vlex.co.uk/vid/mckinnon-v-usa-818719549
Source snippet
McKinnon v United States of America - vLex United KingdomJuly 30, 2008 — 12 The 97 computers the appellant accessed were: 53 army compute...
Published: July 30, 2008
9.
Source: computerworld.com
Link:https://www.computerworld.com/article/1564524/former-prosecutor-ufo-hack-looked-like-terrorist-attack.html
Source snippet
Former prosecutor: UFO hack looked like terrorist attack – ComputerworldAugust 7, 2008 — Image: Sharon Gaudin by Sharon Gaudin FORMER PRO...
Published: August 7, 2008
10.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Gary Mc Kinnon wins extradition battle
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4lecD44F5E
Source snippet
The Most Dangerous File the Hacker Found on NASA Servers... (Aliens?!)...
11.
Source: theguardian.com
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2002/nov/13/hacking.internetcrime
12.
Source: youtube.com
Title: The Man Who Hacked the U.S. Government
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND0zQX1rGdg
Source snippet
Hacking for UFOs and fighting for his life. Who is Gary McKinnon?...
13.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Hacking for UFOs and fighting for his life. Who is Gary Mc Kinnon?
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OImdnvQx7sQ
Source snippet
UK hacker's extradition to US blocked...
14.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ka4l7jdeQw
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: UK hacker’s extradition to US blocked
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Js8DF80HY
Source snippet
Gary McKinnon wins extradition battle...