Kevin Mitnick: Notorious American Hacker

Kevin Mitnick is most recognized as the "World's most renowned hacker". A Hacker is defined as a “Technically proficient person who breaks into a computer system”.  Shortly after the rise of the personal computer in the late 1970’s, Mitnick's initial interest of hacking took hold.  He realized that his skill of hacking gave him power and recognition among his peers, allowing him to make friends easily. His first successful hack was manipulating the Los Angeles transit system by figuring out "how to obtain free bus passes at the age of 12".  He did this through the practice of social engineering, or "Social interaction that preys on human gullibility, sympathy, or fear to take advantage of the target, for example, to steal money, information, or other valuables-basically a con".

 Some hackers are motivated by greed, rather Mitnick ultimately hacked for the challenge, or "fun of it". He quotes his motives for hacking as "Intellectual curiosity, pursuit of knowledge and seduction of adventure"Huffington Post.  He developed an addiction for this challenge of hacking which led him to committing numerous cyber crimes and thus having to later suffer legal consequences.

Mitnick's hacking crimes were so intense that he became an inspiration for the well known movie War Games after hacking into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. He later became one of the FBI's ten most wanted criminals during the 90's.  "The FBI claimed that Mitnick cost companies and institutions millions of dollars by stealing their software and altering computer information" 2001. Throughout Mitnick's extensive history of hacking, he has been charged and arrested for such crimes as,

1981: Manipulating and breaking into phone company networks, such as Pacific Bell for the purpose of stealing technical manuals

1982: Breaking into the U.S. Pentagon's (the National Headquarters of United States Department of Defense) computer system from his computer while at the University of Southern California

1987: Stealing computer software from California software company Santa Cruz Operation

1989: "Illegally downloading source code from Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)"

1992: Stealing software from companies such as,  "Motorola, Nokia, and Fujitsu"

1995: Mitnick is finally captured and arrested in Raleigh, N.C. for crimes of illegally breaking into corporate computer networks and stealing software


Today, Kevin Mitnick has now been out of prison for 14 years (Released in 2000, after serving five years) and owns his own computer security firm called Mitnick Security Consulting http://mitnicksecurity.com/, in which he offers a variety of services to help protect valuable assets of organizations.  

In addition to his business he is also an author of numerous book titles including, Ghost in the wires: My Adventures as the Worlds Most Wanted Hacker (2011), about the true story of his hacking adventures. In the book he describes his experience as the FBI was closing in on him, saying he already knew they were watching him because he "broke into the local cell phone network, allowing him to detect when agents were near his apartment"  He then says "When they were close, he removed evidence but left behind a box of donuts in the refrigerator, labeling them "FBI donuts" to annoy his pursuers" 2011. 

Although Mitnick's cyber crimes were deemed illegal and punishable by law, I would consider myself a Mitnick supporter in that his crimes brought recognition of the seriousness of computer security and thus introduced changes in how people secure themselves.  Overall he successfully turned his love and skill for hacking into a useful trait to help others!

"Works Cited"

Anderson, Greg, David Ferro, and Robert Hilton. Connecting with Computer Science. 2nd ed. Boston: Course Technology, 2011. Print.

Freeman, Edward H. "The Legend and Legacy of Kevin Mitnick." Information Systems Security 10.2  (2001): 5-6. Acedemic Search Complete. Web. 01 Sept. 2014.

Smith, Gerry. "Kevin Mitnick, Former Fugitive Hacker, Laments How The Game Has Changed." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Sept. 2014.