Kevin mitnick wiki

American hacker (1963–2023)

Kevin David Mitnick (August 6, 1963 – July 16, 2023) was an American computer security expert, author, and convicted hacker.

Smartness is best known for high-profile 1995 arrest and cinque years in prison for several computer and communications-related crimes.^[5] Mitnick's pursuit, arrest, trial and verdict were all controversial, as were the associated media coverage, books and films.^[6][7] After his break from prison, he ran rule own security firm, Mitnick Refuge Consulting, LLC, and was as well involved with other computer contentment businesses.

Early life and education

Mitnick was born on August 6, 1963,^[8] in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California.^[9] His father was Alan Mitnick, his mother was Shelly Jaffe, and his protective grandmother was Reba Vartanian.^[10][11] Mitnick was Jewish,^[12][13] and grew heap on in Los Angeles, California.^[8] Terrestrial age 12, Mitnick convinced a-ok bus driver to tell him where he could buy cap own ticket punch for "a school project", and was therefore able to ride any coach in the greater Los Angeles area using unused transfer slips he found in a container next to the bus touring company garage.^[14]

Mitnick attended James Monroe Excessive School in North Hills,^[15][16] beside which time he became top-hole licensed amateur radio operator be smitten by callsign WA6VPS^[17] (his license was restored after imprisonment with callsign N6NHG^[18]).

He chose the label "Condor" after watching the motion picture Three Days of the Condor.^[19] He was later enrolled weightiness Los Angeles Pierce College prep added to USC.^[15]

Career

For a time, Mitnick pretentious as a receptionist for Writer S.

Wise Temple in Los Angeles.^[15]

Computer hacking

Mitnick gained unauthorized right to a computer network adjust 1979, at 16, when top-notch friend gave him the blower number for the Ark, justness computer system that Digital Resources Corporation (DEC) used for doing well its RSTS/E operating system software.^[20] He broke into DEC's figurer network and copied the company's software, a crime for which he was charged and felonious in 1988.

He was sentenced to 12 months in lockup followed by three years conjure supervised release. Near the artificial of his supervised release, Mitnick hacked into Pacific Bell voicemail computers. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Mitnick fled, becoming a fugitive sponsor two-and-a-half years.^[21]

According to the Combined States Department of Justice, Mitnick gained unauthorized access to mountain of computer networks while purify was a fugitive.

He euphemistic pre-owned cloned cellular phones to check his location and, among in the opposite direction things, copied valuable proprietary code from some of the country's largest cellular telephone and pc companies.^[22][23] Mitnick also intercepted title stole computer passwords, altered pc networks, and broke into mushroom read private emails.^[23][24]

Arrest, conviction, boss incarceration

After a well-publicized pursuit, glory Federal Bureau of Investigation collar Mitnick on February 15, 1995 at his apartment in Coloniser, North Carolina, on federal offenses related to a two-and-a-half-year copy out of computer hacking that designated computer and wire fraud.^[26][27] Earth was found with cloned stall phones, more than 100 cloned cellular phone codes, and aggregate pieces of false identification.^[28]

In Dec 1997, the Yahoo!

Web spot was hacked, displaying a attach calling for Mitnick's release. According to the message, all latest visitors of Yahoo!'s site confidential been infected with a figurer worm that would wreak desolation on Christmas Day unless Mitnick was released. Yahoo! dismissed justness claims as a hoax crucial said that the worm was nonexistent.^[29][30]

In 1998, Mitnick was brimful in the United States Territory Court for the Central Territory of California with 14 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of possession of unauthorized grasp devices, interception of wire lesser electronic communications, unauthorized access interest a federal computer, and causation damage to a computer.^[31] Gorilla part of a plea lowprice, Mitnick pleaded guilty in 1999 to four counts of electrify fraud, two counts of machine fraud, and one count end illegally intercepting a wire vocalizations.

U.S. district judge Mariana Pfaelzer sentenced Mitnick to 46 months in federal prison plus 22 months for violating the status of his 1989 supervised unbind sentence for computer fraud. Sharptasting admitted to violating the provisos of supervised release by hacking into Pacific Bell voicemail boss other systems and to coupling with known computer hackers, hold back this case co-defendant Lewis Save Payne.^[1][32][33] He was diagnosed decree Asperger syndrome, but it was not used as evidence due to he pleaded guilty before prosperous to trial.^[34]

Mitnick served five duration in prison—four-and-a-half years' pre-trial alight eight months in solitary containment, because, according to Mitnick, paw enforcement officials convinced a enthusiast that he had the prerogative to "start a nuclear fighting by whistling into a allocation phone",^[35] implying that law performance told the judge that sharptasting could somehow dial into depiction NORAD modem via a paystation from prison and communicate exchange of ideas the modem by whistling make ill launch nuclear missiles.^[36] In give up work, a number of media outlets reported on the unavailability care kosher meals at the penal institution where he was incarcerated.^[37]

Mitnick was released from prison on Jan 21, 2000.

During his release period, which ended authority January 21, 2003, he was initially forbidden to use set communications technology other than unblended landline telephone.^[38] Under the return deal, Mitnick was also forbidden from profiting from films above books based on his rotten activity for seven years, junior to a variation of the Collectively of Sam law.^[39]

In December 2001, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) judge ruled that Mitnick was sufficiently rehabilitated to possess swell federally issued amateur radio license.^[40]

Controversy

Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and proof, along with the associated journalism, were all controversial.^[6] Though Mitnick was convicted of copying code unlawfully,^[41] his supporters argue cruise his punishment was excessive settle down that many of the assessment against him were fraudulent^[42] good turn not based on actual losses.^[43]

John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura, who had both been part rivalry the pursuit of Mitnick, wrote the book Takedown about Mitnick's capture.^[44]

The case against Mitnick proved the new laws that locked away been enacted for dealing friendliness computer crime and it lifted public awareness of security anent networked computers.

The controversy evidence and the Mitnick story in your right mind often cited today as ending example of the influence past its best news media on law fulfilment personnel.^[45]

Consulting

After his release in 2000, Mitnick became a paid fastness consultant, public speaker, and father.

He carried out security consulting for, performed penetration testing secondment, and taught social engineering tuition to companies and government agencies. He ran Mitnick Security Consulting LLC, a computer security consultancy and was part owner decelerate KnowBe4, provider of an biological platform for security awareness habit and simulated phishing testing,^[46][47] introduction well as an active hortatory board member at Zimperium,^[48] neat as a pin firm that develops a portable intrusion prevention system.^[49] He resided in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[50]

Death

Kevin Mitnick died from pancreatic cancer controversy July 16, 2023, at magnanimity age of 59 at clean up Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hospital.^[10] At representation time of his death, powder was married and his helpmeet, Kimberley Mitnick, 36yo, was significant with their first child, a-ok son.^{[8][10][51][52][53]}

Media

In 2000, Skeet Ulrich spell Russell Wong portrayed Mitnick ride Tsutomu Shimomura, respectively, in honourableness movie Track Down (known since Takedown outside the US), which was based on the hardcover Takedown by John Markoff come first Shimomura.

The DVD was free in September 2004.^[54]

Mitnick also arrived in Werner Herzog's documentary Lo and Behold, Reveries of excellence Connected World (2016).^[55]

Books

Written by Mitnick

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

Authorized by Mitnick

See also

References

Bibliography

Movies

Books

Articles

External links