Hackers: Kevin Mitnick: Ghost in the Wire, Now Freed From Downtime - Dead at 53
grarpamp
grarpamp at gmail.com
Fri Sep 22 02:12:04 PDT 2023
https://archive.org/details/FreedomDowntime-TheStoryOfKevinMitnick
Kevin Mitnick
Mitnick in 2010
Born
Kevin David Mitnick
August 6, 1963
Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Died July 16, 2023 (aged 59)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
Other names The Condor, The Darkside Hacker
Occupations
Information technology consultant
Author
Organizations
Mitnick Security Consulting
Chief Hacking Officer at KnowBe4, Inc
Board member of KnowBe4
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[2][3]
Criminal penalty
1988: One year prison[4]
1999: 46 months prison plus 3 years probation
Spouse
Kimberley Mitnick
(m. 2022)
Call sign N6NHG[5]
Website www.mitnicksecurity.com
Kevin David Mitnick (August 6, 1963 – July 16, 2023) was an American
computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker. He is best
known for his high-profile 1995 arrest and five years in prison for
various computer and communications-related crimes.[6] Mitnick's
pursuit, arrest, trial, and sentence along with the associated
journalism, books, and films were all controversial.[7][8] After his
release from prison, he ran his own security firm, Mitnick Security
Consulting, LLC, and was also involved with other computer security
businesses.
Early life and education
Mitnick was born on August 6, 1963,[9] in Van Nuys, California.[10]
His father was Alan Mitnick, his mother was Shelly Jaffe, and his
maternal grandmother was Reba Vartanian.[1][11] He grew up in Los
Angeles, California.[9] At age 12, Mitnick convinced 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 Los Angeles
area using unused transfer slips he found in a dumpster next to the
bus company garage.[12]
Mitnick attended James Monroe High School in North Hills,[13][14]
during which time he became a licensed amateur radio operator with
callsign WA6VPS[15] (his license was restored after imprisonment with
callsign N6NHG[16]). He chose the nickname "Condor" after watching the
movie Three Days of the Condor.[17] He was later enrolled at Los
Angeles Pierce College and USC.[13]
Career
For a time, Mitnick worked as a receptionist for Stephen S. Wise Temple.[13]
Computer hacking
Mitnick gained unauthorized access to a computer network in 1979, at
16, when a friend gave him the telephone number for the Ark, the
computer system that Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) used for
developing its RSTS/E operating system software.[18] 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 of 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.[19]
According to the United States 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.[20][21] Mitnick also intercepted and stole computer
passwords, altered computer networks, and broke into and read private
emails.[21][22]
Arrest, conviction, and incarceration
Black sans serif text "FREE KEVIN" on a yellow backgroundSupporters
from 2600 Magazine distributed "Free Kevin" bumper stickers.[23]
After a well-publicized pursuit, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
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 that included computer and wire
fraud.[24][25] He was found with cloned cellular phones, more than 100
cloned cellular phone codes, and multiple pieces of false
identification.[26]
In December 1997, the Yahoo! Web site was hacked, displaying a message
calling for Mitnick's release. According to the message, all recent
visitors of Yahoo!'s site 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.[27][28]
Mitnick was charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of
possession of unauthorized access devices, interception of wire or
electronic communications, unauthorized access to a federal computer,
and causing damage to a computer.[29]
He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, but it was not used as
evidence at his trial.[30] 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 bargain
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.[2][31][32]
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",[33]
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.[34] In
addition, a number of media outlets reported on the unavailability of
kosher meals at the prison where he was incarcerated.[35]
Mitnick 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.[36] Under the plea deal, Mitnick was also prohibited from
profiting from films or books based on his criminal activity for seven
years, under a variation of the Son of Sam law.[37]
In December 2001, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) judge
ruled that Mitnick was sufficiently rehabilitated to possess a
federally issued amateur radio license.[38]
Controversy
Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and trial, along with the
associated journalism, were all controversial.[7] Though Mitnick was
convicted of copying software unlawfully,[39] his supporters argue
that his punishment was excessive and that many of the charges against
him were fraudulent[40] and not based on actual losses.[41]
John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura, who had both been part of the
pursuit of Mitnick, wrote the book Takedown about Mitnick's
capture.[42]
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.[43]
Consulting
After his release in 2000, Mitnick became a paid security consultant,
public speaker, and author. He carried out security consulting for,
performed penetration testing services, and taught social engineering
classes to companies and government agencies. He ran Mitnick Security
Consulting LLC, a computer security consultancy and was part owner of
KnowBe4, provider of an integrated platform for security awareness
training and simulated phishing testing,[44][45] as well as an active
advisory board member at Zimperium,[46] a firm that develops a mobile
intrusion prevention system.[47] He resided in Las Vegas, Nevada.[48]
Death
Kevin Mitnick died from pancreatic cancer on July 16, 2023, at the age
of 59 at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hospital.[1] At the time of his
death, he was married and his wife was pregnant with his first
child.[9][1][49][50]
Media
Adrian Lamo, Kevin Mitnick, and Kevin Poulsen (photo c. 2001)
In 2000, Skeet Ulrich and Russell Wong portrayed 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 Shimomura. The DVD was released in September 2004.[51]
Mitnick also appeared in Werner Herzog's documentary Lo and Behold,
Reveries of the Connected World (2016).[52]
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:
(2002) The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security[53]
(2005) The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits
of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers[54]
(2011) Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most
Wanted Hacker[13]
(2017) The Art of Invisibility[55]
Authorized by Mitnick
(1996) The Fugitive Game: Online with Kevin Mitnick, Jonathan Littman[56]
See also
Kevin Poulsen
List of computer criminals
"My kung fu is stronger than yours"
The Secret History of Hacking
References
Albeck-Ripka, Livia; Mayorquin, Orlando (July 20, 2023). "Kevin
Mitnick, Hacker Who Once Eluded Authorities, Is Dead at 59". The New
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"Ex-hacker reveals tricks of the trade". AsiaOne Digital. Archived
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fugitive turned security consultant, dies at 59". The Washington Post.
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Hackers League (May 31, 2019). "Kevin Mitnick". Medium. Archived
from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
"Freedom Downtime - The Story of Kevin Mitnick (2001)".
CosmoLearning. August 20, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
Greene, Thomas C. (January 13, 2003). "Chapter One: Kevin
Mitnick's story". The Register. Archived from the original on
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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.
"Hacker Arraigned in Computer Fraud Case". Los Angeles Times.
October 1, 1996. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023.
Retrieved July 20, 2023. "... as a student at James Monroe High School
in North Hills, he broke into the Los Angeles Unified School
District's computers."
Mills, Elinor (June 22, 2009). "Q&A: Kevin Mitnick, from ham
operator to fugitive to consultant". cnet.com. CNET. Archived from the
original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
"Mitnick Granted Ham License". Wired. Associated Press. December
27, 2002. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
Poole, Hilary W.; Lambert, Laura; Woodford, Chris; Moschovitis,
Christos J. P. (2005). The Internet : a historical encyclopedia. Santa
Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 1-85109-664-7. OCLC 62211803.
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thememoryhole.org. Archived from the original on March 17, 2009.
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"Fugitive North Hills Hacker Arrested in N. Carolina : Crime: Kevin
Mitnick eluded authorities for two years. He is alleged to have cost
victims millions". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on
June 27, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
Tamaki, Julie (September 27, 1996). "Famed Hacker Is Indicted by
U.S. Grand Jury". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
Rose, E. Brian (December 1, 2015). Millionaire Within: Untold
Stories from the Internet Underworld. Morgan James Publishing. p. 22.
ISBN 978-1-63047-346-4.
Byrne, Michael (September 27, 2014). "Kevin Mitnick Offers a Peek
Inside the Cryptic Zero-Day Marketplace". Vice. Retrieved July 22,
2023.
"Freedom Downtime - The Story of Kevin Mitnick". archive.org.
October 23, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
"Fugitive computer hacker arrested in North Carolina". usdoj.gov
(Press release). United States Department of Justice. February 15,
1995. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012.
The Colbert Report[not specific enough to verify]
Painter, Christopher M. E. (March 2001). "Supervised Release and
Probation Restrictions in Hacker Cases" (PDF). United States
Attorneys' USA Bulletin. Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
49 (2). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved
April 19, 2015.
"Yahoo Hack: Heck of a Hoax". Wired. December 9, 1997.
Original text posted to Yahoo's website at archive.org
Hesseldahl, Arik (September 4, 1998). "Hacker Can't Get Access".
Wired – via wired.com.
Hess, Ken (September 12, 2011). "Ghost in the Wires: The Kevin
Mitnick Interview". ZDNET. Archived from the original on November 5,
2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
"Computer Hacker Kevin Mitnick Sentenced to Prison". fas.org.
Federation of American Scientists. June 27, 1997. Archived from the
original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
"Kevin Mitnick sentenced to nearly four years in prison; computer
hacker ordered to pay restitution to victim companies whose systems
were compromised". usdoj.gov. 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.
Mills, Elinor (July 20, 2008). "Social Engineering 101: Mitnick
and other hackers show how it's done". CNET. Archived from the
original on July 13, 2012.
"Famed hacker to Snowden: Watch out". CNN. Archived from the
original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
"Life Not Kosher for Mitnick". Wired. August 18, 1999. Archived
from the original on September 18, 2012.
Bowker, Art. "Hackers, Sex Offenders, and All the Rest".
corrections.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018.
Retrieved September 14, 2018.
"World's most famous hacker Kevin Mitnick to speak at ULM Business
Symposium". ulm.edu. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022.
Retrieved July 20, 2023.
"F.C.C. Lets Convicted Hacker Go Back on Net". The New York Times.
December 27, 2002.
Miller, Greg (March 27, 1999). "Judge Accepts Mitnick's Guilty
Plea on 7 Counts". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on
April 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
Randolph, Donald C. "About Kevin's Case". Free Kevin Mitnick.
Archived from the original on April 24, 2006.
"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.
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.
Christensen, John (March 18, 1999). "The trials of Kevin Mitnick".
Archived from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved December 11,
2018.
Noory, George (January 7, 2019). "Cybercrime & Security". Coast to
Coast AM. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved
January 8, 2019.
KnowBe4. "Kevin Mitnick Partners With KnowBe4". prnewswire.com
(Press release). Retrieved April 18, 2020.
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.
Alex Williams (December 20, 2013). "Zimperium Raises $8M For
Mobile Security That Turns The Tables On Attackers". TechCrunch. AOL.
Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved June 25,
2017.
"Kevin Mitnick's Security Advice". Wired. November 15, 2006.
"Kevin David Mitnick". Dignity Memorial. Archived from the
original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
"Famed Hacker Kevin Mitnick Dead at 59". SecurityWeek News. July
20, 2023. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July
20, 2023.
"Takedown". tcm.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023.
Retrieved July 20, 2023.
Security, Mitnick. "Lo and Behold". mitnicksecurity.com. Archived
from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
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. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011.
Retrieved January 14, 2009.
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. Archived from the
original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
Mitnick, Kevin; Vamosi, Robert (February 2017). The Art of
Invisibility. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-3163-8049-2.
Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
Cohn, Scott (July 26, 2016). "Greed Report: These White-Collar
Manhunts Will Make Your Head Spin". CNBC. Archived from the original
on February 24, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
Bibliography
Movies
Freedom Downtime at IMDb
Books
Kevin Mitnick with Robert Vamosi, The Art of Invisibility, 2017,
Hardback ISBN 978-0-316-38049-2
Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon, Ghost in the Wires: My
Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker, 2011, Hardback ISBN
978-0-316-03770-9
Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon, The Art of Intrusion: The Real
Stories Behind The Exploits Of Hackers, Intruders, And Deceivers,
2005, Hardback ISBN 0-471-78266-1
Kevin Mitnick, The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element
of Security, 2002, Paperback ISBN 0-471-23712-4
Jeff Goodell, The Cyberthief and the Samurai: The True Story of
Kevin Mitnick-And the Man Who Hunted Him Down, 1996, ISBN
978-0-440-22205-7
Tsutomu Shimomura, Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin
Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw-By the Man Who Did It,
1996, ISBN 0-7868-8913-6
Jonathan Littman, The Fugitive Game: Online with Kevin Mitnick,
1996, ISBN 0-316-52858-7
Katie Hafner and John Markoff, CYBERPUNK – Outlaws and Hackers on
the Computer Frontier, 1995, ISBN 1-872180-94-9
Articles
Littman, Jonathan (June 2007). "The Invisible Digital Man" (PDF).
Playboy. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.
Fost, Dan (May 4, 2000). "Movie About Notorious Hacker Inspires a
Tangle of Suits and Subplots". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from
the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2007.
Darell, Khin. "From Being Hunted By The FBI To Working Alongside
Them- Kevin Mitnick". Appknox. Archived from the original on August 5,
2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
Ehrlich, Thomas. "Renowned security expert Kevin Mitnick can steal
your identity in 3 minutes". Forbes. Archived from the original on
July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kevin Mitnick.
Official website Edit this at Wikidata
Kevin Mitnick interviewed on the TV show Triangulation on the
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This page was last edited on 11 September 2023, at 16:02 (UTC).
He's gone, Jim.
[[1]] Crazysane (T/C\D) 00:58, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
dead
apparently he died of cancer or something 🤷♂️
2A00:23EE:1478:219E:3051:7545:2AE4:DCE2 (talk) 00:59, 20 July 2023
(UTC)
The memorial page that is being shared:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668
Skyfaller (talk) 01:11, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
The problem is no one's confirming it. Just a memorial page isn't
much to go on. No one on Twitter, Reddit, or Hacker News is stepping
up to say specifically "I know all about this and know independently
of this memorial page that Kevin is dead". Entities like 2600 or Jason
Scott are just retweeting the memorial. Is Kevin Mitnick dead?
Probably yes. But given that he was famous in particular for social
engineering, there's a bit of niggling doubt there about him or
someone else up to shenanigans... --Gwern (contribs) 01:09 20 July
2023 (GMT)
A member of the hacking community, MG, claims on Twitter to
have independently confirmed this but as of now has provided no
additional sources. Also Security Week has reported it, citing
"SecurityWeek sources" in addition to the memorial page. Replysixty
(talk) 01:27, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
Can someone protect the page to stop the back-and-forth
unsourced edit-warring? Nicolas09F9 (talk) 01:32, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
Yet another source [2], not to mention the Obituary is
definitely legit. --Neøn (talk) 01:42, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
And now the Sun as well. I think this should be
enough. Replysixty (talk) 01:46, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
I guess there's no way to block the reverts that
will predictably follow.. -- Neøn (talk) 01:49, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
After a discussion with User:GeneralNotability
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:GeneralNotability#Kevin_Mitnick)
I've restored what I believe was the best version to come out of this
back-and-forth editing, featuring the obituary and the SecurityWeek
article. At this point, the back-and-forth has mostly slowed, so
hopefully we can leave it at this... demize (t · c) 02:11, 20 July
2023 (UTC)
Confirmed by multiple sources, including
New York Times. See: [3] Lexlex (talk) 20:29, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 20 July 2023 (2)
This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans=
parameter to no to reactivate your request.
He died on the 16th of july not the 19th of july ComuterK1d (talk)
02:08, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change
you want to be made. EggRoll97 (talk) 04:00, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 20 July 2023 (3)
This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans=
parameter to no to reactivate your request.
Please change in "Death" July 21,2023 to July 20, 2023 Fischdix (talk)
14:13, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
Please disregard changes, correct date is July 16, 2023.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668
Fischdix (talk) 14:16, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
This page was last edited on 29 August 2023, at 01:10 (UTC).
Contribution credits and vanities
I put this in here, for the record, in case this article gets longer.
Most Mitnick stories, including his own, tell of the penetration by
Mitnick and his friends of what is called, reverentially, "The Ark" at
Digital Equipment Corporation. Although rare at that time outside of
DEC, inside there was a whole network of computers with addresses
using up to six RAD-50 characters. ARK:: was the address of the RSTS
development system. It was nothing special, just another PDP-11/70,
and certainly not the sanctum sanctorum of Digital software that he
makes it sound. Most operating system people in DEC at the time
thought downloading old RSTS sources was a hilarious waste of time. I
worked on a better OS on KERMIT:: and ALIEN::, that RSX guy, Ortolan88
05:37 Jan 28, 2003 (UTC)
Removed:
"Today, Kevin Mitnick is widely regarded as a pioneering cracker whose
prosecution by the government was overblown to the point of
injustice."
See Wikipedia:Avoid weasel terms.
-- Cyan 09:39, 19 Sep 2003 (UTC)
2600 documentary
I added information about the 2600 documentary, freedom downtime,
links to freekevin.com, freedomdowntime.com, and an image from his
company website to the right of the page. --drago9034 12:30, Nov 9,
2003
In view of the quality of later edits, and the rather strange
allegations made by 219.39.... I suggest removing all his edits,
unless he/she comes up with some sources to confirm what he writes.
Was it possible that the revert before mine was intended to revert all
the anon edits but failed because of the change of IP address? DJ
Clayworth 18:48, 21 May 2004 (UTC)
"Hacker" n "Cracker"
The first sentence calls him a "hacker", even though he fits the
definition of "cracker" (including the definition given by Wikipedia).
He doesn't fit the primary definition of "hacker", as given by the
Wikipedia or that most any hacker would use.
I don't see how "cracker" is a "weasel term". Wikipedia defines
cracking as "the act of compromising the security of a system without
permission from an authorized party" -- which is precisely what
Mitnick did. That doesn't seem any more weasely than, say, calling Al
Capone a "gangster". It's what he did.
It's also confusing: it seems to imply that hacking is a criminal
activity, yet the (primary) definition of "hacker" doesn't mention
criminal activity.
The "hacker" article lists him as a "notable hacker[] who ran afoul of
a government", which is exceedingly generous. At the very least, I
think we should add an adjective here to distinguish what he did from
what most hackers do -- "security hacker", for example, though that
still feels too generous. Why can't we just call him a "security
cracker", like he is?
Perhapse I'm wrong, but I don't think the "weasel term" comment
refered to the term "cracker" so much as the context of the term, i.e.
"is widely regarded as"
They are both inappropriate and should be avoided. Cracker and
Phreak are both jargon. Very few people know what the term means,
everyone knows the term hacker in the sense used here. It is what the
little runt called himself. Mitnick and his like have unfortunately
captured this word now. The term hacker means computer criminal in the
popular mind. The OED (2nd ed) contains both definitions, it does not
contain cracker defined in this way and is pretty unlikely to.
--Gorgonzilla 01:26, 30 June 2006 (UTC)
"Hacker" should be removed from the opening description, as
the original poster noted, it incorrectly implies that "hacking" is a
crime. He should be described as having illegally accessed corporate
computer equipment, or some similarly descriptive phrase. I suppose
Gorgonzilla is correct that "cracker" is too jargony. -Pete 04:17, 24
April 2007 (UTC)
Cracker is both the correct term and a commonly used term
for describing this type of activity. It has been used in news reports
and articles intended for the general public. Using the term hacker is
incorrect. Wikipedia should probably try to avoid being incorrect.
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.61.185.203 (talk) 15:05, 29
September 2008 (UTC)
Kevin was a Malicious Hacker =
The term hacker is ther term adopted by the media in general and by
the hackers themselves. I am entirely familliar with the MIT use of
the term, I worked at MIT. It is unfortunate that the crackers have
appropriated this term but they have been successful in doing so.
Attempting to redefine the term at this stage is futile.
If you want to refine the term, point out that Kevin was frequently
vindictive and malicious. He is also pretty unrepentant, he still
whines about the length of the prison term he got, I don't think it
was enough. Kevin is still a hussler, its just that his latest scam,
security consulting is at least legal even if it is difficult to see
how any client could trust him.
HallamBaker
Oh dear. You have no idea how he could make money because, and I
quote, "it is difficult to see how any client could trust him". Well,
its always good to know that even people who can go to MIT will still
be too stupid to do anything good with their life. Especially if such
a simple thing escapes them. 58.170.161.3 (talk) 16:57, 8 March 2009
(UTC) Harlequin
Mitnick nukes the world
"while also held in solitary confinement for eight months "in order to
prevent a massive nuclear strike from being initiated by me via a
prison payphone." The nuclear strike would hit New York city and
surrounding areas and also hit the outskirts of South Korea by
whistling the secret passcode in to the receiver"
What the hell? Is this Dr. Strangelove crap real? Gamaliel 02:43, 21
Jul 2004 (UTC)
I found reference to Mitnick's assertion that there were unreasonable
fears that he could whistle into a phone and start a nuclear war, but
I could find no reference to the NYC and South Korea bits, so I
removed them. If someone wishes to reinstate them, proper attribution
of who said or asserted it should be included. AdmN 18:56, 29 Aug 2004
(UTC)
Copyright vio
sorry to rain on the parade, but the following section section appears
to be taken from here: http://www.takedown.com/bio/mitnick.html
"It was the fifth time that Mitnick had been apprehended for a
computer crime, and the case attracted nationwide attention because,
in an unusual plea bargain, he agreed to one year in prison and six
months in a counseling program for his computer "addiction." It was a
strange defense tactic, but a federal judge, after initially balking,
bought the idea that there was some sort of psychological parallel
between the obsession Mitnick had for breaking in to computer systems
and an addict's craving for drugs"
This is interesting.
Isn't it ? :)
I once read something that suggested that some people who
break into secure/forbidden things (like a network) enjoy it the same
way some guys enjoy penetrating a virgin. Armedblowfish 22:52, 25
April 2006 (UTC)
3 years
>From what I know, he was actually not allowed to use a computer up
until 2004. He was supposed to be banned from using any computer or
cellular phone for 3 years after his latest release from Jail, in
2001.
also, in my opinion, the physical isolation from any type of computer,
phone, etc. was seen as failure on the part of the authorities, who
failed to catch Mitnick for so many years. aside form that, even
though I don't suggest that anybody take up a career in hacking or
cracking, i must say the man was a genius. --Zeerus 01:27, Apr 13,
2005 (UTC)
I could be wrong, since my knowledge of such terms is limited, but
isn't what Mitnick did normally known as "phreaking?" And if so,
shouldn't the article refer to him as a "phreaker" rather than
"cracker" or "hacker?"
He was both, but the majority of his illegal activity centered
around breaking into computer equipment rather than manipulating
telephones, so "phreaker" would be a secondary label. Gary D Robson
22:17, 29 November 2005 (UTC)
In one of the books about him (don't remember which one), it
detailed how he was able to provision himself telephone features such
as Caller ID through both social engineering and accessing the
switches, before those features were available to the public;
accessing the switches would certainly fall into phreaking. And he and
one of his buddies would reprogram the switches in order to win
dial-in radio contests. MeekMark 02:51, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
I placed the article in Category:2600: The Hacker Quarterly since
Mitnick spoke at HOPE, writes articles, etc... Paul 07:11, 4 January
2006 (UTC)
The supposed bus hack as a kid
Smacks of what I know of Bill Gross personally. And that he was 5
years too late for it ... - Sparky 16:02, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
Kevin Mitnick as a ham radio operator
One thing I wanted to put in the article was that Kevin Mitnick is an
amateur radio operator. Where do you think it would fit? Ryan 23:01,
30 April 2006 (UTC)
Kevin D. Mitnick, N6NHG. General class amateur radio license.
(Information from the FCC Database) --147.126.46.147 01:22, 19 July
2006 (UTC)
That's no Genius!
In rebutle to the above, Mitnick is no genius: Many, many people have
the knowledge to do what he did; Mitnick used his knowledge for
breaking the law and getting caught and going to jail, instead of
doing something constructive and making money. That's no genius,
that's one stupid dummy. (Not signed)
Well, he's pulling probably $3-500k a year in speaking fees right now,
plus royalties on 2 books - one a best seller. That's a lot better
than a senior Unix admin, right? Is there a bit of anger
there...perhaps? Wanna tell us about it? 24.126.126.105 06:57, 9
October 2006 (UTC)
Genius as defined by WP is "Great intelligence, who shows an
exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in
creative or original work." well the first part is inarguably correct
the second part is the dispute, one could easily argue he was neither
creative nor original. I think the most correct term would be
extraordinarly cunning.Colin 8 20:47, 4 June 2007 (UTC)
No bail hearing
How about the fact that Kevin was kept in jail without a Bail hearing?
Not "without bail"- lots of criminals have bail denied, but until
Mitnick, every accused person was allowed to have a Bail Hearing.
....from the transcript of the March 30, 1998 hearing:
[Defense counsel making reference to the bail motion while
addressing other motions currently pending before the Court.]
Mr. Randolph: Inasmuch as I have filed and I believe the Clerk
has set a motion to have bail set on behalf of my client and that is
set--
The Court: I am not going to give your client bail.
Mr. Randolph: I think the matter is set for next Monday, your
Honor, at 1:30.
The Court: Well, I may take it under submission without oral
argument because I am not going to give him bail.
also-
The Bail Reform Act of 1984 ("Act"), mandates that pretrial
detention is permissible only where:
"after a hearing pursuant to the provisions of [18 U.S.C. §
3142(f)], the judicial officer finds that no condition or combination
of conditions will reasonably assure the appearance of the person as
required and the safety of any other person and the community." 18
U.S.C. § 3142(e).
In this case, the district court's order was substantively
flawed in that it failed to find that no conditions will reasonably
assure his appearance or the safety of the community, as required by
substantive due process. Furthermore, the district court's order was
procedurally flawed in that the court refused to hold a hearing during
which evidence relevant to this determination could be presented.
12.110.196.19 03:16, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
What did he do?
I know this might sound like a stupid question, but the article
doesn't actually describe what he did, beyond a vague reference to
some companies and that he was convicted of wirefraud. Much more space
is dedicated to his incarceration than his actual crimes. Seems to me
that this is something that needs to be added. I doubt that I am
qualified to do so.
Porphyrous 15:59, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
Dude, that's right but if you want to know that details READ the
damn book ! I just finished it yesterday (Takedown) and it explain all
in details. Excellent book written by markoff & shimomura.
Do not read Takedown. It's a fictitious load of bull. You want
to know what Mitnick did and how he was persecuted? Find and watch the
documentary Freedom Downtime from 2600 films.
Yes, if you are interested in a vitriolic paranoid's
opinion, presented as fact. 72.198.221.25 09:15, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
Read the book? READ THE BOOK? Are you a complete *****
moron.(profanities aren't necessary)
This is wikipedia. If we get the information, we shall put it in. If
it is sourced, we shall establish it. We do NOT leave shit out simply
because it would "spoil the ending" of a book. Shit, we dont leave
shit out on the pages of books and movies, instead going into
spoilerific plot details. Get the .... out. 58.170.161.3 (talk) 16:55,
8 March 2009 (UTC) Harlequin
More content anyone?
I've seen two hour documentaries over this guy. Surely someone can
cram more crap in here? It never mentions any of the stuff he did. Not
only does it fail to explain why he's infamous (other than he
committed wire fraud, and if I did that, I'd probably not be famous,
right?), but the seemingly second-most important thing is that a bunch
of people deface his website. That should be close to the last thing
in the article because it really doesn't say much about him.
Unfortunately, we need sources for everything. So someone needs to
pick up a book and read it. Seriously, this article is disappointing
for what I expected. I expected to learn things I didn't already know.
Instead, I'm finding I know things that aren't listed here (though I
can't add it because I can't cite "Ziggythehamster's brain").
Thanks to anyone who can help.
Ziggy the Hamster 05:23, 27 October 2006 (UTC)
It seems odd that this article doesn't mention the 1994 Christmas
attack against Tsutomu Shimomura. See
http://www.totse.com/en/hack/hack_attack/hacker03.html for information
concerning that attack. 66.134.227.18 09:33, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
Mitnick in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
He isn't credited in the credits! It musn't be right! Please respond!
ProSieben 15:01, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
Just for clarity...
I'm splitting the references to him in popular culture into their own
section, leaving "Recent activities" specifically for things that he's
done. TankRamp 13:04, 5 January 2007 (UTC)
vandals
some retard actually used the words "haxor" and "pwned" Wikipedia
needs a retard pole to keep editors away
it may also need a giant smacking stick for people who use bad
language to complain about bad language.
Edgeways 04:54, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
I must say
This article is remarkably poorly written. —The preceding unsigned
comment was added by 69.250.176.23 (talk) 18:10, 21 February 2007
(UTC).
Where did the books go?
Weren't there articles covering John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura's
Takedown(missing), and Jonathan Littman(missing)'s The Fugitive
Game(missing). There are no deletion logs. Weird. I could have
sworn... --Lexein 07:01, 16 March 2007 (UTC)
Early life - removing anti-Semitic content
"Kevin Mitnick had a Jewish upbringing."
What does this statement mean, beyond simply claiming that he is
Jewish? There is no citation, and no further details provided.
Why is this statement relevant here at all? Given the descriptions of
unscrupulous conduct in other parts of this article, it appears that
the intention is an anti-Semitic insinuation.
So I am removing this comment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by
Ygale (talk • contribs) 09:57, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
I understand your concern. It wouldn't be the first time
antisemitism has been skewed under the guise of something else.
However, I am Jewish myself and would be horrified by such a thought.
Kevin Mitnick isn't as bad as the press and court portrayed him, and
today he uses his talents to help others.
Fact is that wikipedia articles often bring origins and
religion in their articles. Kevin Mitnick is Jewish, demanded kosher
food in prison and after being released in 1989, a therapist suggested
he spend some time at a treatment center for addicts. Thus, Kevin
spent several months at Beit T'Shuvah, a treatment center for Jewish
ex-cons with addiction problems and no place to go.
So you might leave it out if you want. I think the guy is of a
great intelligence and just proves another great Jewish mind.
Wow...just wow. And they say we have enough problems on the Israeli
boards with the same type of morons claiming criticism of Israel is
"Anti-Semitic". And the racism and ignorance in the latter post makes
it even worse.
No, saying that hes Jewish is NOT anti-semitic. I have no idea what
backwards, bigoted, ignorant hole you crawled from to reach such a
conclusion...but next time, regardless of whether it was true and/or
sourced, maybe take a look at the article and take a guess that an
editor must have thought he was Jewish because of his last name.
58.170.161.3 (talk) 17:00, 8 March 2009 (UTC) Harlequin
Myths
I am a little confused that "Hacked into Tsutomu Shimomura's home
computer" is listed as a myth, when the citation to support this is a
link to the site and seems to indicate that Mr Mitnick did in fact
break into Mr Shimomura's system. So my question is: is this
incorrectly placed as a myth, or is there a different citation to
support it being a myth? Jockm (talk) 16:43, 4 April 2008 (UTC)
The link supports the fact that there is such an accusation. There
needs to be a link debunking it, though :| Crimson30 (talk) 23:05, 22
June 2008 (UTC)
I am going to remove the whole myths section for now... sources saying
that an accusation was made is entirely different from a source to
show that it's a myth, and from a glance at the section it looks like
many, if not most or all, are not adequately supported. Even someone
claiming that they are myths would not be verification that they are
myths, because there are people who make disputing claims all the
time. It's pushing POV to assume that one side is correct. DreamGuy
(talk) 19:19, 22 July 2008 (UTC)
Kevin Mitnick myths
Hacked into NORAD[1][2][3]
"Theft of... at least 20,000 credit card numbers from computer
systems around the nation"[2][3]
Issued a false press release for Security Pacific Bank causing a
$400 million loss in market capitalization[1]
Changed a judge's TRW credit report[1]
Turned off the utilities of an FBI agent[2][4]
Vandalized many government, corporate and university computer systems[5][3]
Hacked into Tsutomu Shimomura's home computer[3]
Harassed actress Kristy McNichol[2]
Hacked Microsoft Redmond campus databases
The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security,
by Kevin Mitnick (2002, Hardback ISBN 0-471-23712-4, Paperback ISBN
0-7645-4280-X)
Freedom Downtime made in 2001 by Emmanuel Goldstein and produced
by 2600 Films
A Most-Wanted Cyberthief Is Caught in His Own Web by John Markoff
1995 New York Times
Takedown (film) made in 2000 by Joe Chapelle and produced by Miramax
2600 Live Mitnick interview, 2600 Magazine, Released January 2003,
Run time: 1 hr 18 min 5 sec
ALIAS?
"Mitnick guest starred in a first season episode of Alias. The casting
was an in-joke, since Mitnick played a CIA hacker. Due to the
conditions of his parole, however, the computer he used in the scene
was a prop."
Does anyone know which episode this was? Sephiroth storm (talk) 16:23,
20 June 2008 (UTC)
REF tags seem screwy
The ref tags on this page seem screwy. They look like they need to be
fixed. This is a ping to anyone with experience using the new ref
system to fix them. Thanks in advance. — fcsuper (How's That?, That's
How!) (Exclusionistic Immediatist ) — 13:44, 1 November 2008 (UTC)
Question about the court hearing of Mitnick video
[1]
Im wondering why at 2:03 the judge doesnt even listen to Mitnick, is
this not an unfair trial..? Pickysticks (talk) 13:55, 12 January 2009
(UTC)
Quality of Style?
There is a cleanup tag on this article, what specificly is requested?
Sephiroth storm (talk) 05:45, 14 January 2009 (UTC)
Who is Suzy Thunder?
How does she relate to Kevin Mitnick again? It says in the article
that she was the one who told authorities that Mitnick could cause a
nuclear war by whistling into a telephone. I do not think this
information is accurate.
Searching Google Video for hacking yields a 50 min video about
hacking, and in it Kevin Mitnick himself says that during one of his
trials, the prosecutor told the judge that if he [Kevin Mitnick] had
access to the payphone inmates used to contact their families, he
could start a nuclear war.
At this time this movie can be found at,
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5512733670886412215&q=hacking&hl=en
Susan Thunder was a girl enamored of Kevin in the late eighties. He
blew her off and she got pissed and started blabbing. She's now a
prostitute in 'Vegas and does pretexting on the side for extra cash.
stories, including his own, tell of the penetration by Mitnick and his
friends of what is called, reverentially, "The Ark" at Digital
Equipment Corporation. Although rare at that time outside of DEC,
inside there was a whole network of computers with addresses using up
to six RAD-50 characters. ARK:: was the address of the RSTS
development system. It was nothing special, just another PDP-11/70,
and certainly not the sanctum sanctorum of Digital software that he
makes it sound. Most operating system people in DEC at the time
thought downloading old RSTS sources was a hilarious waste of time. I
worked on a better OS on KERMIT:: and ALIEN::, that RSX guy, Ortolan88
05:37, 28 January 2003 (UTC)
Fake IDs?
The article, as it reads right now, makes it sound like Mitnick spent
5 years in jail for having 4 fake IDs. — Preceding unsigned comment
added by 168.105.126.10 (talk) 08:47, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
first sentence
In the first sentence is explained Mitnick was incarcerated for more
than four years without trial or a bail hearing. Is this fact more
important than his actual conviction? According to the next section
there was a trial. --78.34.4.52 (talk) 22:42, 8 March 2009 (UTC)
That was clearly inappropriate. Thanks for removing it. DreamGuy
(talk) 15:47, 29 March 2009 (UTC)
Though I agree it should not be the first sentence of this
article, there needs to be some non-implied reference made of the
extraordinary length of his pre-trial confinement without a bail
hearing. It is in all probability likely record-setting, and the most
fascinating aspect of the case. ((Anonymous, 14:58:22 3 Sep 2009)
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.172.96.17 (talk) 15:04, 3
September 2009 (UTC)
"Free Kevin"
Is it worth mentioning the "Free Kevin" movement and associated
banners/stickers/shirts/etc. that were for a period of time nearly
ubiquitous in certain circles? Not quite as widespread as, say, "Free
Mumia", but it seems like it was a significant aspect of his popular
fame (see e.g. this discussion). --Delirium (talk) 23:31, 6 April 2009
(UTC)
Coin-toss as to whether it should be a subhead or a separate article.
Definitely worth mentioning.
— Adrian~enwiki (talk) 12:32, 13 May 2009 (UTC)
FYI, I came hoping to read about that whole "Free Kevin" movement and
yet I found nothing. I have spent the last two hours crying on the
floor curled up in the foetal position because of this. So please add
that info. Thanks!--72.1.222.80 (talk) 00:04, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
I'll see what I can do. I do own "Freedom Downtime", and I'll see
what else I can find. Sephiroth storm (talk) 11:52, 21 May 2009 (UTC)
Cleanup
I think this article needs a complete overhaul and rewrite. Instead of
just tearing it apart, I'm going to propose my major changes here for
discussion. If no one has any objections, I will go ahead. To start:
The entire "Skills" section should be removed. It is completely
unsourced and unencyclopedic.
The "Downfall" section should be renamed to "FBI arrest" and
reduced to what there are currently sources for.
The "Controversy" section should be rewritten and unsourced
material removed.
The "Attacks on Mitnick's sites" section should be removed. It is
not relevant to a biographical article, and it is poorly sourced.
The "Recent activities" section should be rewritten as prose, and
all unsourced material should be removed.
Anything that is sourced to http://www.freekevin.com should be
removed because that site now appears to be down.
The "In popular culture" section should be rewritten as prose, and
all unsourced material should be removed.
After all of that, I am willing to find neutral, reliable sources and
begin rewriting the article. Thoughts? --Mus Musculus (talk) 19:16, 23
April 2007 (UTC)
Removing things cited to web sources which are now down is not
standard procedure, afaik. That is the reason we have accessdate
fields in the citation templates. In all likelihood the site is still
available from the internet archive. Finding extant sources would be
ideal, but there isn't, imo, any reason to remove the
info.—WAvegetarian (talk) 19:24, 23 April 2007 (UTC)
Good point. So are you more of the opinion that we can leave
most information while we seek out sources? One strategy would be to
only remove unsourced material that violates WP:BLP. For example, we
would not want to state that Mitnick engaged in any illegal activities
that we don't immediately have a source for. --Mus Musculus (talk)
19:35, 23 April 2007 (UTC)
This article is terrible, one of the first things it states is that
"he is considered a criminal by some, but has also gained many
supporters who generally argue he was made a scapegoat and that his
punishment was excessive" This is a huge POV, and also weasel words at
the same time. First is "he is considered a criminal by some" this is
clearly designed to give the impression he isn't really a criminal and
that implication is furthured by "but he has also gained many
supporters". He is by definition a criminal by having been convicted
of crimes, and who are these "many" supporters?, how does the person
who edited this know what they generally argue?, where are the
citations for this statement? and who do these "many supporters" say
he was a scapegoat for?. I am going to change this to "Though Mitnick
has been convicted of computer related crimes and possesion of several
forged identification documents, his supporters argue his punishment
was excessive".
I removed the dead link to
http://littlegreenguy.fateback.com/chapter1/Chapter%201%20-%20Banned%20Edition.doc
More than that, the domain is an untrusted site according to WOT
--InfoGathering (talk) 16:48, 19 August 2009 (UTC)
This article reeks of bias. You would never know that he was
arrested 5-6 times for repeated computer crimes based on what is
written here. Instead we get the impression that Mitnick is an
innocent hero who is wrongly convicted. —Preceding unsigned comment
added by 24.16.68.248 (talk) 21:36, 30 January 2011 (UTC)
Odd ordering of sections.
I see no good reason for this BLP to not match most of our other BLPs
in putting things in a reasonably chronological order, so I am editing
that. If there's a good, substantive reason, please explain back here.
Otherwise, it almost seems to be pushing emphasis on the arrest and
conviction in an undue manner. ThuranX (talk) 05:46, 30 August 2009
(UTC)
Feel free. Actually, I should add some more recent information
about him, If I can find any. Sephiroth storm (talk) 13:02, 30 August
2009 (UTC)
Additional Info I Researched Years Ago - Please Consider Adding
I did a lot of research for a website I did in the early 2000's about
actress Kristy McNichol. I found news clippings I got on eBay about
how McNichol was being terrorized in the early 1990's with her phone
cut off. This guy Mitnick was responsible for the activity that he
went to prison for. This info is overlooked on this page that I
believe warrants consideration. If anyone has any cites to use it
would be much appreciated. Mitnick referred to this accusation in his
book as being bogus, but he was put in jail partly for his crimes
against McNichol. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.127.57.44
(talk) 06:26, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
Alleged Crimes
I know this wouldn't stand legally, but many of the alleged crimes are
described in detail how he did them in "Ghost in the Wires." How
should that be modified? Kalak55 (talk) —Preceding undated comment
added 19:39, 21 October 2011 (UTC).
Sources?
"He was also the former record holder of the fastest computer attack
in the world (1988-2008) until succeeded by the Lebanese Hussein el
Husseini A.K.A (The Napster) on June 26 2008, Husseini bettered
Minitck by almost a full minute on the military firewall belonging to
the pentagon he was responsible for what was known to be as the
biggest military hack in history."
No sources given. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kurapix (talk
• contribs) 23:58, 11 August 2011 (UTC)
.112.98.186|talk]]) 02:02, 11 November 2012 (UTC)
Much additional sourcing, fact and POV checking is required per
WP:BLP. Laval (talk) 17:48, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
I agree with the above assessments and have been trying to neutralize
some of the content and add some credible sourcing. — Preceding
unsigned comment added by Boorsours (talk • contribs) 11:53, 16
September 2014 (UTC)
"Social Engineering"
The term social engineering is misused in this article. Asking a bus
driver a question and getting a reply is not social engineering, it's
asking a question.
If any flimsy pretext existed by which this could even be classed as
any form of engineering; social it certainly is not. Social
engineering is the attempt to manipulate society, not an individual in
a "one off" incident.
The same applies to the other incidents in which phone numbers,
passwords etc. were obtained.
The misuse of this term now includes various forms of computer
malware, also inappropriately. — Preceding unsigned comment added by
118.90.2.92 (talk) 06:39, 1 August 2011 (UTC)
That is the correct use of social engineering in this context.
Mitnik uses that term in his autobiography to describe what he was
doing. To me, it seems that the expression "social engineering"
includes asking, lying, and impersonating people/job titles to obtain
sensitive information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by
98.141.202.117 (talk) January 4, 2012
Agree entirely with the above. I have attempted to reconcile the fact
that it's typically known as "con artistry" or "confidence trick" by
noting "social engineering" in parallel alongside the more common term
of "confidence trick". — Preceding unsigned comment added by Boorsours
(talk • contribs) 11:55, 16 September 2014 (UTC)
Finding balance, finding sources
Parts of this article read like promotional material for Kevin
Mitnick... e.g. the Consulting section, which includes not one WP:RS
to support its claims. Similarly, "Kevin at Defcon 2014" needs to
reflect the single source that took note of his activity there,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ehrlichfu/2014/08/15/renowned-security-expert-kevin-mitnick-can-steal-your-identity-in-3-minutes/2/
I did try to improve that section already, however. HouseOfChange
(talk) 23:29, 16 November 2014 (UTC)
Computer Hacking Section
...a crime he was charged with and convicted of...
The grammatical version would be:
...a crime with which he was charged and of which he was convicted...
I realize that this is a less readable construction approaching
Churchill's, "up with which I will not put," so I didn't just edit it
in. The editor overseeing this page is welcome to make the decision as
to whether or not to change the text. It could also be shortened to:
...a crime of which he was convicted...
since he was perforce charged with any crime of which he could be
convicted. ☺ Dick Kimball (talk) 17:16, 4 March 2015 (UTC)
External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just added archive links to one external link on Kevin Mitnick.
Please take a moment to review my edit. You may add {{cbignore}} after
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The Cuckoo's Egg
Was there ever a connection between Mitnick and The Cuckoo's Egg or am
I remembering that incorrectly? Stéphane Charette (talk) 23:38, 19 May
2020 (UTC)
A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been
nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata
item has been nominated for speedy deletion:
Kevin Mitnick .jpg
You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page
linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 13:52, 13 August 2020 (UTC)
Kevin David Mitnick — Preceding unsigned comment added by
208.79.185.227 (talk) 20:30, 8 February 2021 (UTC)
SCO?
After reading the article on SCO - Santa Cruz Operation - I came here.
And there's no mention of SCO here. Yet, there are 3 refs in section
Trapping a hacker about events in 1987. Why the gap? Shenme (talk)
04:45, 5 June 2021 (UTC)
About Hack
Wanna be a Hackathon 2409:4071:D13:BB7D:93E5:1301:5D3C:1369 (talk)
10:20, 21 July 2022 (UTC)
Debate about noting felony convictions in the opening sentence
Hello, requesting guidance for a proposed edit to the Kevin Mitnick
page. I noticed that someone mentioned that "Kevin Mitnick is an
American convicted felon" normally wouldn't be noted in the first line
of the article, UNLESS this is what the subject is known for. The
rationale for inclusion came from using the Frank Abagnale article as
a model (Abagnale even wrote a promotional blurb for Mitnick's
published autobiography), and from the fact that this is indeed what
Mitnick is most famous for. See a simple Google image search resulting
in his wanted posters, as well as the fact that he promotes his "most
wanted" status himself to position himself in his current field. Given
this information, would it be inappropriate to make such an edit in
the opening line of the article? Input appreciated.
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 20 July 2023
This edit request to Kevin Mitnick has been answered. Set the
|answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.
Kevin Mitnick died on July 16 (see his obituary here:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668)
The article should be updated to refer to him in the past tense, and
should include information about the date and cause of his death.
Honksandsirens (talk) 01:25, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
Already done EggRoll97 (talk) 04:00, 20 July 2023 (UTC)
This page was last edited on 20 August 2023, at 00:34 (UTC).
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