Kevin Mitnick:

Kevin David Mitnick (born August 6, 1963) is a computer security consultant who was a controversial computer hacker in the late 20th century.

In 1999, Mitnick admitted to the authorities to illegally gaining access to computer networks and acquiring copies of software as part of a plea agreement before the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles. Though Mitnick has been convicted of computer related crimes and possession of several forged identification documents, his supporters argue that his punishment was excessive. 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. Mitnick did not use software programs or hacking tools for cracking passwords or otherwise exploiting computer or phone security.

Mitnick served five years in prison, of which four and a half years were pre-trial, and eight months were in solitary confinement.^[1] He was released on January 21, 2000. During his supervised release, which ended on January 21, 2003, he was initially restricted from using any communications technology other than a landline telephone. Mitnick fought this decision in court, and the judge ruled in his favor, allowing him to access the Internet.

Mitnick now runs Mitnick Security Consulting, a computer security consultancy.^[1]

Early life

Kevin Mitnick began social engineering, or perhaps discovered his first engineerable situation at the age of 12. He realized he could bypass the punchcard system used for the Los Angeles bus system: by buying his own punch, he could get free bus rides anywhere in the greater LA area. Social engineering became his primary method of obtaining information, whether it be user names and passwords, modem phone numbers or any number of other pieces of data.

In high school, he was introduced by "Petronix" to phone phreaking, the activity of manipulating telephones, which he often used to evade long distance charges.^[1] Mitnick also became handy with amateur radios; using such equipment, Mitnick reportedly managed to gain unauthorized access to the speaker systems of nearby fast food restaurants.

Computer hacking

Mitnick gained unauthorized access to his first computer network in 1979, when a friend gave him the phone number for the Ark, the computer system at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) used for developing their RSTS/E operating system software. He broke into DEC's computer network and copied DEC's software, for which he was later convicted. This was the first of a series of run-ins with the law.

Acts by Kevin Mitnick

Alleged

Controversy

Kevin Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and trial were controversial, as was the journalism surrounding his conviction.

Further controversy came over the release of the movie Takedown, with Littman alleging that portions of the film were taken from his book without permission.

The case against Mitnick tested then-nascent laws that had been enacted for dealing with computer crime, and it raised public awareness of security issues involving networked computers. The controversy remains, however, as Mitnick is often used today as an example of the quintessential computer criminal although his exploits are less notable than his notoriety suggests.

Supporters of Mitnick have asserted that many of the charges against him were fraudulent^[7] and not based on actual losses.^[8]

Falsehoods have also surrounded Mitnick's exploits. For example, many mistakenly believe that Mitnick was once in the FBI's most wanted list. Federal prosecutor Kent Walker said in an interview with the New York Times that Mitnick "…was arguably the most wanted computer hacker in the world, he allegedly had access to corporate trade secrets worth millions of dollars. He was a very big threat".^[4] The headline of the resultant article, "A Most-Wanted Cyberthief Is Caught in His Own Web," was later picked up by Associated Press, Time Magazine and Reuters, thus perpetuating the myth.

Although some claim that Mitnick's actual actions may not have justified the level of official concern they received, the fact that his activities were criminal is not disputed. Mitnick's first adult criminal sentence was considerably shorter than is the norm today.

A documentary, Freedom Downtime, was released in 2001 by Emmanuel Goldstein and 2600 Films. It covers Mitnick's incarceration, Miramax's adaptation of Takedown, and the "FREE KEVIN" movement.

Attacks on Mitnick's sites

As a notorious figure, Mitnick has been targeted by hackers who wish to bolster their status and for people seeking to prove their abilities.^[9]

Zone-H reports that on one occasion, there was a struggle between different black hat and white hat hackers when some defacers put their nicks on Mitnick's site and fans replaced the vandalized copy with an original unmodified one. This went on for a full day.^[10]

Recent activity

Kevin Mitnick

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