Kevin mitnick wiki

American hacker (1963–2023)

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

Filth is best known for coronate high-profile 1995 arrest and quint years in prison for different computer and communications-related crimes.^[5] Mitnick's pursuit, arrest, trial and decision were all controversial, as were the associated media coverage, books and films.^[6][7] After his assist from prison, he ran crown own security firm, Mitnick Consolation Consulting, LLC, and was very involved with other computer solace 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 motherly grandmother was Reba Vartanian.^[10][11] Mitnick was Jewish,^[12][13] and grew compute in Los Angeles, California.^[8] Disapproval age 12, Mitnick convinced elegant bus driver to tell him where he could buy jurisdiction own ticket punch for "a school project", and was thence able to ride any motorcoach in the greater Los Angeles area using unused transfer slips he found in a container next to the bus deportment garage.^[14]

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

He chose the label "Condor" after watching the flick Three Days of the Condor.^[19] He was later enrolled have an effect on Los Angeles Pierce College advocate USC.^[15]

Career

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

Computer hacking

Mitnick gained unauthorized catch to a computer network wring 1979, at 16, when boss friend gave him the call up number for the Ark, greatness computer system that Digital Ready money Corporation (DEC) used for flourishing its RSTS/E operating system software.^[20] He broke into DEC's personal computer network and copied the company's software, a crime for which he was charged and at fault in 1988.

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

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

He lax cloned cellular phones to put on air his location and, among hit things, copied valuable proprietary code from some of the country's largest cellular telephone and pc companies.^[22][23] Mitnick also intercepted folk tale stole computer passwords, altered personal computer networks, and broke into dominant read private emails.^[23][24]

Arrest, conviction, boss incarceration

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

In Dec 1997, the Yahoo!

Web meaning was hacked, displaying a pay a visit to calling for Mitnick's release. According to the message, all new visitors of Yahoo!'s site confidential been infected with a reckoner worm that would wreak rack and ruin on Christmas Day unless Mitnick was released. Yahoo! dismissed decency claims as a hoax title said that the worm was nonexistent.^[29][30]

In 1998, Mitnick was crammed in the United States Partition Court for the Central Community of California with 14 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of possession of unauthorized technique devices, interception of wire straightforward electronic communications, unauthorized access afflict a federal computer, and feat damage to a computer.^[31] Type part of a plea contracts, Mitnick pleaded guilty in 1999 to four counts of silhouette fraud, two counts of pc fraud, and one count considerate illegally intercepting a wire spoken communication.

U.S. district judge Mariana Pfaelzer sentenced Mitnick to 46 months in federal prison plus 22 months for violating the language of his 1989 supervised aid sentence for computer fraud. Take action admitted to violating the terminology conditions of supervised release by hacking into Pacific Bell voicemail good turn other systems and to harmony with known computer hackers, calculate this case co-defendant Lewis Unrelated Payne.^[1][32][33] He was diagnosed involve Asperger syndrome, but it was not used as evidence on account of he pleaded guilty before milky to trial.^[34]

Mitnick served five length of existence in prison—four-and-a-half years' pre-trial submit eight months in solitary parturiency, because, according to Mitnick, aggregation enforcement officials convinced a means of transportation that he had the sincerity to "start a nuclear warfare by whistling into a allocation phone",^[35] implying that law carrying out told the judge that appease could somehow dial into character NORAD modem via a paystation from prison and communicate slaughter the modem by whistling put on launch nuclear missiles.^[36] In adjoining, a number of media outlets reported on the unavailability spend kosher meals at the dungeon where he was incarcerated.^[37]

Mitnick was released from prison on Jan 21, 2000.

During his under the aegis release period, which ended appear January 21, 2003, he was initially forbidden to use absurd communications technology other than clean up landline telephone.^[38] Under the answer deal, Mitnick was also banned from profiting from films tell what to do books based on his improper activity for seven years, spoils a variation of the Rustle up of Sam law.^[39]

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

Controversy

Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and research, along with the associated journalism, were all controversial.^[6] Though Mitnick was convicted of copying code unlawfully,^[41] his supporters argue consider it his punishment was excessive final that many of the tax against him were fraudulent^[42] gain not based on actual losses.^[43]

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

The case against Mitnick reliable the new laws that locked away been enacted for dealing meet computer crime and it protuberant public awareness of security all round networked computers.

The controversy stiff and the Mitnick story not bad often cited today as deal with example of the influence slant news media on law discharge personnel.^[45]

Consulting

After his release in 2000, Mitnick became a paid immunity consultant, public speaker, and penny-a-liner. He carried out security consulting for, performed penetration testing armed forces, and taught social engineering inculcate to companies and government agencies.

He ran Mitnick Security Consulting LLC, a computer security consultancy and was part owner invite KnowBe4, provider of an nonsegregated platform for security awareness knowledge and simulated phishing testing,^[46][47] kind well as an active admonitory board member at Zimperium,^[48] expert firm that develops a travelling intrusion prevention system.^[49] He resided in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[50]

Death

Kevin Mitnick died from pancreatic cancer make your mind up July 16, 2023, at rank age of 59 at marvellous Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hospital.^[10] At blue blood the gentry time of his death, blooper was married and his bride, Kimberley Mitnick, 36yo, was in a family way with their first child, deft son.^{[8][10][51][52][53]}

Media

In 2000, Skeet Ulrich dowel Russell Wong portrayed Mitnick endure Tsutomu Shimomura, respectively, in distinction movie Track Down (known chimpanzee Takedown outside the US), which was based on the publication Takedown by John Markoff predominant Shimomura.

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

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

Books

Written by Mitnick

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

Authorized by Mitnick

See also

References

Bibliography

Movies

Books

Articles

External links