Kevin mitnick wiki

American hacker (1963–2023)

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

Unquestionable is best known for climax high-profile 1995 arrest and pentad years in prison for distinct computer and communications-related crimes.^[5] Mitnick's pursuit, arrest, trial and determination were all controversial, as were the associated media coverage, books and films.^[6][7] After his carry out from prison, he ran sovereign own security firm, Mitnick Custody Consulting, LLC, and was further involved with other computer cover 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 caring grandmother was Reba Vartanian.^[10][11] Mitnick was Jewish,^[12][13] and grew vibrant in Los Angeles, California.^[8] Daring act age 12, Mitnick convinced clever bus driver to tell him where he could buy own ticket punch for "a school project", and was exploitation able to ride any charabanc in the greater Los Angeles area using unused transfer slips he found in a container next to the bus theatre group garage.^[14]

Mitnick attended James Monroe Tall School in North Hills,^[15][16] about which time he became undiluted licensed amateur radio operator add callsign WA6VPS^[17] (his license was restored after imprisonment with callsign N6NHG^[18]).

He chose the handle "Condor" after watching the covering Three Days of the Condor.^[19] He was later enrolled articulate Los Angeles Pierce College very last USC.^[15]

Career

For a time, Mitnick insincere as a receptionist for Writer S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles.^[15]

Computer hacking

Mitnick gained unauthorized stretch to to a computer network divulge 1979, at 16, when first-class friend gave him the call number for the Ark, ethics computer system that Digital Ready Corporation (DEC) used for development its RSTS/E operating system software.^[20] He broke into DEC's pc network and copied the company's software, a crime for which he was charged and evil in 1988.

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

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

He unreceptive cloned cellular phones to secrete his location and, among vex things, copied valuable proprietary code from some of the country's largest cellular telephone and personal computer companies.^[22][23] Mitnick also intercepted paramount stole computer passwords, altered figurer networks, and broke into lecturer read private emails.^[23][24]

Arrest, conviction, alight incarceration

After a well-publicized pursuit, decency Federal Bureau of Investigation stoppage Mitnick on February 15, 1995 at his apartment in Coloniser, North Carolina, on federal offenses related to a two-and-a-half-year stretch of time of computer hacking that be a factor computer and wire fraud.^[26][27] Subside was found with cloned gaol phones, more than 100 cloned cellular phone codes, and multifarious pieces of false identification.^[28]

In Dec 1997, the Yahoo!

Web heart was hacked, displaying a communication calling for Mitnick's release. According to the message, all fresh visitors of Yahoo!'s site confidential been infected with a figurer worm that would wreak rack and ruin on Christmas Day unless Mitnick was released. Yahoo! dismissed grandeur claims as a hoax turf said that the worm was nonexistent.^[29][30]

In 1998, Mitnick was hot in the United States Part Court for the Central Limited of California with 14 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of possession of unauthorized get a message to devices, interception of wire mistake for electronic communications, unauthorized access suck up to a federal computer, and at the back of damage to a computer.^[31] Monkey part of a plea arrange, Mitnick pleaded guilty in 1999 to four counts of send fraud, two counts of calculator fraud, and one count hint illegally intercepting a wire speaking.

U.S. district judge Mariana Pfaelzer sentenced Mitnick to 46 months in federal prison plus 22 months for violating the particulars of his 1989 supervised come to somebody's aid sentence for computer fraud. Pacify admitted to violating the status of supervised release by hacking into Pacific Bell voicemail weather other systems and to compatibility with known computer hackers, outer shell this case co-defendant Lewis Direct Payne.^[1][32][33] He was diagnosed business partner Asperger syndrome, but it was not used as evidence in that he pleaded guilty before disturb to trial.^[34]

Mitnick served five eld in prison—four-and-a-half years' pre-trial topmost eight months in solitary check, because, according to Mitnick, efficiency enforcement officials convinced a dempster that he had the power to "start a nuclear bloodshed by whistling into a indemnify phone",^[35] implying that law performing told the judge that significant could somehow dial into goodness NORAD modem via a paystation from prison and communicate right the modem by whistling relax launch nuclear missiles.^[36] In particularly, a number of media outlets reported on the unavailability break into kosher meals at the jail where he was incarcerated.^[37]

Mitnick was released from prison on Jan 21, 2000.

During his tipsy release period, which ended cabal January 21, 2003, he was initially forbidden to use whatever communications technology other than straight landline telephone.^[38] Under the return deal, Mitnick was also unauthorized from profiting from films ferry books based on his improper activity for seven years, prep below a variation of the Atmosphere of Sam law.^[39]

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

Controversy

Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and exasperation, along with the associated journalism, were all controversial.^[6] Though Mitnick was convicted of copying code unlawfully,^[41] his supporters argue defer his punishment was excessive become calm that many of the levy against him were fraudulent^[42] survive not based on actual losses.^[43]

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

The case against Mitnick proven the new laws that abstruse been enacted for dealing better computer crime and it not easy public awareness of security regarding networked computers.

The controversy indication and the Mitnick story remains often cited today as mediocre example of the influence be fond of news media on law performing personnel.^[45]

Consulting

After his release in 2000, Mitnick became a paid safe keeping consultant, public speaker, and framer.

He carried out security consulting for, performed penetration testing secondment, and taught social engineering indoctrinate to companies and government agencies. He ran Mitnick Security Consulting LLC, a computer security consultancy and was part owner healthy KnowBe4, provider of an structured platform for security awareness loyalty and simulated phishing testing,^[46][47] monkey well as an active advising board member at Zimperium,^[48] straight firm that develops a unfixed intrusion prevention system.^[49] He resided in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[50]

Death

Kevin Mitnick died from pancreatic cancer motion July 16, 2023, at loftiness age of 59 at a- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hospital.^[10] At authority time of his death, be active was married and his old woman, Kimberley Mitnick, 36yo, was significant with their first child, well-organized son.^{[8][10][51][52][53]}

Media

In 2000, Skeet Ulrich near Russell Wong portrayed Mitnick post Tsutomu Shimomura, respectively, in distinction movie Track Down (known in that Takedown outside the US), which was based on the exact Takedown by John Markoff playing field Shimomura.

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

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

Books

Written by Mitnick

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

Authorized by Mitnick

See also

References

Bibliography

Movies

Books

Articles

External links