Kevin Mitnick, nicknamed «The Condor», is one of the most famous hackers in the history of computing.
In the 1980s and 1990s, this American hacker broke into the systems of tech giants, before becoming a cybersecurity consultant respected around the world. He passed away on July 16, 2023, at the age of 59 years old, as a result of a pancreatic cancer.
Kevin Mitnick: His Biography
Kevin David Mitnick was born on August 6, 1963. Long considered the the world's most wanted hacker, he hacked into the computer networks of Pacific Bell, Fujitsu, Motorola, Nokia and Sun Microsystems, without ever managing to hack into the Pentagon.
Here are the key dates that shaped his life:
- The 1980s and 1990s : Mitnick carried out a series of intrusions into corporate networks, often using the’social engineering rather than mere technical glitches.
- February 1995 : it is arrested by the FBI in Raleigh, North Carolina, while he was one of the country's most wanted fugitives.
- 1999 : He pleaded guilty to computer fraud. Sentenced to 46 months in prison, he will have served a total of 5 years without parole, including his pretrial detention that began in 1995 (of which 8 months were spent in solitary confinement).
- January 2000 : it is released on parole, with a ban on using a computer or cell phone during his probation.
- 2002 : he co-writes " L’Art de la supercherie », a book on social engineering based on real-life cases, which was an instant success.
- 2003 : he founded Mitnick Security Consulting and has established itself as IT security expert recognized worldwide.
- 2005 : he publishes " L’Art de l’intrusion », which details cyberattacks carried out by well-known hackers.
- 2011 : appears " Ghost in the Wires », his autobiography in which he recounts his life on the run and his exploits as the world's most wanted hacker.
From a pirate hunted by the authorities to IT security consultant consulted by the largest companies, Mitnick remains one of the most influential figures in the history of the hacking.
A hacker not a criminal
Mitnick is no ordinary criminal. Above all, he embodies a Another Perspective on Hacking, that of the curious person who wants to understand how a computer system works.
As a child, he loved magic tricks and developed a passion for computers at a very early age; he was a rather introverted child.
As a teenager, he was already tinkering with the telephone. He sets up pranks to trick his fellow geeks—an early form of’social engineering. A friend then took him to the high school's computer lab, where they wrote a program together that could simulate logging into a bank's website.
For Mitnick, these intrusions aren't theft. They're a way to test one's limits on computer networks. He never considered himself a real hacker, but rather a ethical hacker (one white hat), driven by a desire to understand systems far more than by money.
Above all, hacking gave him a adrenaline rush, especially when he managed to infiltrate a network reputed to be impenetrable.
His first shot
À 17 years old, in 1980, Mitnick carries out his first real heist. Accompanied by friends, he breaks into the switchboard room COSMOS Phone Service of Los Angeles, a system that logs all calls on the network.
To access it, he needs to get his hands on the confidential user manuals. But his girlfriend reported him to the police.
The penalty is handed down: six months in custody in a rehabilitation center and one year of probation for data tampering. Far from deterring him, this sentence only fueled his desire to hack even more. Hacking became almost a addiction.
He then attacks the research laboratory at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), To Palo Alto. Its target: the source code of the operating system VMS, which is installed on computers VAX of the corporation. According to an internal source, Lenny DiCicco, he manages to carry out the intrusion into the networks of DEC.
But the accomplice eventually got fed up. After one prank too many, he decided to betray him Mitnick with his employer and the FBI, by luring him with a fake meeting where two agents are waiting for him.
Mitnick was then accused of stole several million dollars in software. He pleads guilty to computer fraud and illegal possession of access codes, and is sentenced to’one year in prison.
He is survived by his wife, Kimberley—who was pregnant with their first child at the time of his death in Las Vegas—as well as a significant legacy in the field of computer security and the’social engineering.
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