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American computer security consultant, author, convicted criminal, and hacker

Kevin Mitnick
Mitnick in 2010
BornKevin David Mitnick
(1963-08-06)August 6, 1963
Van Nuys, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 16, 2023(2023-07-16) (aged 59)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesThe Condor, The Darkside Hacker
Occupations
Organization(s)Mitnick Security Consulting
Chief Hacking Officer at KnowBe4, Inc
Board member ofKnowBe4
Criminal charge(s)1995: Wire fraud (14 counts), possession of unauthorized access devices (8 counts), interception of wire or electronic communications, unauthorized access to a federal computer, and causing damage to a computer.
Criminal penalty1988: One year prison.
1999: 46 months prison plus 3 years' probation
Call signN6NHG
Websitehttps://www.mitnicksecurity.com

Kevin David Mitnick (born August 6, 1963) was an American computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker. He passed away peacefully on July 16, 2023 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, his can be found at obituary. He is best known for his high-profile 1995 arrest and five years in prison for various computer and communications-related crimes.

Mitnick's pursuit, arrest, trial, and sentence along with the associated journalism, books, and films were all controversial.

He now runs the security firm Mitnick Security Consulting, LLC. He is also the Chief Hacking Officer and part owner of the security awareness training company KnowBe4, as well as an active advisory board member at Zimperium, a firm that develops a mobile intrusion prevention system.

Early life and education

Mitnick was born in Van Nuys, California, on August 6, 1963. He grew up in Los Angeles and attended James Monroe High School in Los Angeles, California, during which time he became an amateur radio operator and chose the nickname "Condor" after watching the movie Three Days of the Condor. He was later enrolled at Los Angeles Pierce College and USC. For a time, he worked as a receptionist for Stephen S. Wise Temple.

Career

Computer hacking

At age 12, Mitnick got a bus driver to tell him where he could buy his own ticket punch for "a school project", and was then able to ride any bus in the greater LA area using unused transfer slips he found in a dumpster next to the bus company garage.

Mitnick first gained unauthorized access to a computer network in 1979, at 16, when a friend gave him the phone number for the Ark, the computer system that Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) used for developing its RSTS/E operating system software. He broke into DEC's computer network and copied the company's software, a crime for which he was charged and convicted in 1988. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by three years' supervised release. Near the end of his supervised release, Mitnick hacked into Pacific Bell voicemail computers. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Mitnick fled, becoming a fugitive for two-and-a-half years.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mitnick gained unauthorized access to dozens of computer networks while he was a fugitive. He used cloned cellular phones to hide his location and, among other things, copied valuable proprietary software from some of the country's largest cellular telephone and computer companies. Mitnick also intercepted and stole computer passwords, altered computer networks, and broke into and read private emails.

Arrest, Conviction, and Incarceration

Black sans serif text "FREE KEVIN" on a yellow background
Supporters from 2600 Magazine distributed "Free Kevin" bumper stickers.

After a well-publicized pursuit, the FBI arrested Mitnick on February 15, 1995, at his apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina, on federal offenses related to a two-and-a-half-year period of computer hacking which included computer and wire fraud. He was found with cloned cellular phones, more than 100 cloned cellular phone codes, and multiple pieces of false identification.

In December 1997, the Yahoo! website was hacked, displaying a message calling for Mitnick's release. According to the message, all recent visitors of Yahoo!'s website had been infected with a computer worm that would wreak havoc on Christmas Day unless Mitnick was released. Yahoo! dismissed the claims as a hoax and said that the worm was nonexistent.

Mitnick was charged with wire fraud (14 counts), possession of unauthorized access devices (8 counts), interception of wire or electronic communications, unauthorized access to a federal computer, and causing damage to a computer.

Mitnick was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, but it was not used as evidence at his trial. In 1999, Mitnick pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, two counts of computer fraud, and one count of illegally intercepting a wire communication, as part of a plea agreement before the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to 46 months in prison plus 22 months for violating the terms of his 1989 supervised release sentence for computer fraud. He admitted to violating the terms of supervised release by hacking into Pacific Bell voicemail and other systems and to associating with known computer hackers, in this case co-defendant Lewis De Payne.

Mitnick served five years in prison—four-and-a-half years' pre-trial and eight months in solitary confinement—because, according to Mitnick, law enforcement officials convinced a judge that he had the ability to "start a nuclear war by whistling into a pay phone", implying that law enforcement told the judge that he could somehow dial into the NORAD modem via a payphone from prison and communicate with the modem by whistling to launch nuclear missiles. In addition, a number of media outlets reported on the unavailability of kosher meals at the prison where he was incarcerated.

He was released on January 21, 2000. During his supervised release, which ended on January 21, 2003, he was initially forbidden to use any communications technology other than a landline telephone. Under the plea deal, Mitnick was also prohibited from profiting from films or books based on his criminal activity for seven years, under a special judicial Son of Sam law variation act.

In December 2001, an FCC judge ruled that Mitnick was sufficiently rehabilitated to possess a federally issued amateur radio license. Mitnick now runs Mitnick Security Consulting LLC, a computer security consultancy, and is part owner of KnowBe4, provider of an integrated platform for security awareness training and simulated phishing testing.

Controversy

Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and trial, along with the associated journalism, were all controversial. Though Mitnick has been convicted of copying software unlawfully, his supporters argue that his punishment was excessive and that many of the charges against him were fraudulent and not based on actual losses.

In his 2002 book, The Art of Deception, Mitnick states that he compromised computers solely by using passwords and codes that he gained by social engineering. He claims he did not use software programs or hacking tools for cracking passwords or otherwise exploiting computer or phone security.

John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura, who had both been part of the pursuit of Mitnick, wrote the book Takedown about Mitnick's capture.

The case against Mitnick tested the new laws that had been enacted for dealing with computer crime, and it raised public awareness of security involving networked computers. The controversy remains, however, and the Mitnick story is often cited today as an example of the influence that newspapers and other media outlets can have on law enforcement personnel.

Consulting

Since 2000, Mitnick has been a paid security consultant, public speaker, and author. He does security consulting for, performs penetration testing services, and teaches social engineering classes to companies and government agencies. His company Mitnick Security Consulting is based in Las Vegas, Nevada where he currently resides.

Media

Adrian Lamo, Kevin Mitnick, and Kevin Poulsen (photo c. 2001)

In 2000, Skeet Ulrich and Russell Wong portrayed Kevin Mitnick and Tsutomu Shimomura, respectively, in the movie Track Down (known as Takedown outside the US), which was based on the book Takedown by John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura. The DVD was released in September 2004.

Mitnick also appeared in Werner Herzog's documentary Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World (2016).

Books

Written by Mitnick

Mitnick is the co-author, with William L. Simon and Robert Vamosi, of four books, three on computer security and his autobiography:

Authorized by Mitnick

See also

References

  1. ^ Gengler, Barbara (1999). "Super-hacker Kevin Mitnick takes a plea". Computer Fraud & Security. 1999 (5): 6. doi:10.1016/S1361-3723(99)90141-0.
  2. "Kevin Mitnick's Federal Indictment". Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  3. "#089 Fugitive Computer Hacker Arrested in North Carolina". justice.gov. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013.
  4. "HEARING DESIGNATION ORDER (FCC 01-359)" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. December 21, 2001. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  5. "Kevin Mitnick sentenced to nearly four years in prison; computer hacker ordered to pay restitution to victim companies whose systems were compromised" (Press release). United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California. August 9, 1999. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013.
  6. ^ "Free Kevin, Kevin Freed", Jan 21, 2000, Jason Kroll, Linux Journal
  7. "Ex-hacker reveals tricks of the trade". AsiaOne Digital. Archived from the original on July 23, 2015.
  8. KnowBe4. "Kevin Mitnick Partners With KnowBe4". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved April 18, 2020.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. Darlene Storm (July 19, 2012). "Interview: World's most famous hacker, Kevin Mitnick, on mobile security & Zimperium". Computerworld. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013.
  10. Alex Williams (December 20, 2013). "Zimperium Raises $8M For Mobile Security That Turns The Tables On Attackers". TechCrunch. AOL.
  11. Merritt, Tom (2012). Chronology of Tech History. Lulu.com. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-300-25307-5.
  12. ^ Mitnick, Kevin (2011). Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-03770-9.
  13. Mills, Elinor. "Q&A: Kevin Mitnick, from ham operator to fugitive to consultant". cnet.com. CNET. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  14. Hilary W. Poole; Laura Lambert; Chris Woodford; Christos J. P. Moschovitis (2005). The Internet : a historical encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif. ISBN 1-85109-664-7. OCLC 62211803.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. Greene, Thomas C. (January 13, 2003). "Chapter One: Kevin Mitnick's story". The Register. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012.
  16. "The Missing Chapter from The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick". thememoryhole.org. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  17. "Freedom Downtime - The Story of Kevin Mitnick : 2600 Films : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. October 23, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  18. "Fugitive computer hacker arrested in North Carolina" (Press release). United States Department of Justice. February 15, 1995. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012.
  19. Colbert Report
  20. Pnter, Christopher M.E. (March 2001). "Supervised Release and Probation Restrictions in Hacker Cases" (PDF). United States Attorneys' USA Bulletin. 49 (2). Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
  21. "Yahoo Hack: Heck of a Hoax". Wired. December 9, 1997.
  22. Original text posted to Yahoo's website.
  23. Hess, Ken (September 12, 2011). "Ghost in the Wires: The Kevin Mitnick Interview". ZDNet. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  24. "Computer Hacker Kevin Mitnick Sentenced to Prison". fas.org. June 27, 1997. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  25. "Kevin Mitnick sentenced to nearly four years in prison; computer hacker ordered to pay restitution to victim companies whose systems were compromised". United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California, U.S. Department of Justice. August 9, 1999. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009.
  26. Mills, Elinor (July 20, 2008). "Social Engineering 101: Mitnick and other hackers show how it's done". CNET News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012.
  27. "Famed hacker to Snowden: Watch out". CNN.
  28. "Life Not Kosher for Mitnick". Wired. August 18, 1999. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012.
  29. Bowker, Art. "Hackers, Sex Offenders, and All the Rest". Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  30. "F.C.C. Lets Convicted Hacker Go Back on Net". The New York Times (Press release). December 27, 2002.
  31. Noory, George (January 7, 2019). "Cybercrime & Security". Coast to Coast AM. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  32. Miller, Greg (March 27, 1999). "Judge Accepts Mitnick's Guilty Plea on 7 Counts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  33. Randolph, Donald C. "About Kevin's Case". Free Kevin Mitnick. Archived from the original on April 24, 2006.
  34. "Defense consolidated motion for sanctions and for reconsideration of motion for discovery and application for expert fees based upon new facts". Free Kevin Mitnick. June 7, 1999. Archived from the original on December 22, 2005.
  35. Shimomura, Tsutomo; Markoff, John (1996). Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw - By the Man Who Did It. Hyperion. ISBN 978-0786862108.
  36. John Christensen (March 18, 1999). "The trials of Kevin Mitnick". Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  37. "Kevin Mitnick's Security Advice". Wired.
  38. Mitnick, Kevin; Simon, William L. (October 2003). The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security. Wiley Books. ISBN 978-0-7645-4280-0.
  39. Mitnick, Kevin; Simon, William L. (December 27, 2005). The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers. Wiley Books. ISBN 978-0-7645-6959-3.
  40. Mitnick, Kevin; Simon, William L. (2011). Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-03770-9. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  41. Mitnick, Kevin; Vamosi, Robert (February 2017). The Art of Invisibility. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-3163-8049-2.

Bibliography

Movies

Books

Articles

External links

Hacking in the 1990s
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Incidents
1990
1995
1998
Groups
Individuals
Malware
  1. "Kevin Mitnick Obituary - Las Vegas, NV". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
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