The most famous hacker of all time, Kevin Mitnick, has left his mark on the minds of hackers everywhere. Indeed, he's been a household name in the world of hacking. Want to know a little more about Kevin Mitnick? Join us in this article to discover a little more about this character, namely his biography, his achievements, etc. Let's go.
Kevin Mitnick: Biography
Kevin Mitnick is a former hacker of American origin. He was born on August 6, 1963 and died on July 16, 2023. Also known as "The Condor", Kevin Mitnick had illegal access to the customer databases of Pacific Belland Fujitsu systems, Motorola, Nokia and Sun Microsystems. However, he failed to gain access to Pentagon information. Let's take a look at some of the highlights of his life, including :
- In the 2000 : He became a computer security consultant.
- In 1995 He was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment for computer crimes and was one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives.
- Then in 2002He has also co-written a book on social engineering: The Art of Deception, based on real-life experiences. The book was a great success.
- In 2005 He continued in this vein, co-writing : The Art of Intrusion. This book deals mainly with intrusions into computer networks carried out by strangers or groups of renowned hackers.
A hacker not a criminal
Kevin Mitnick is no ordinary criminal. In fact, he offers a new version of hacking. As a child, he loved magic tricks and being a nerd. He was also an introverted computer geek. In his teens, he built phones all by himself to set up stings and trick his fellow geeks. Then, one day, one of his geek friends suggested he take a trip to the high school computer lab. They created a program to simulate access to a bank's computer portal. For Kevin Mitnick, his activities are a way of kill the boredom. He never considered himself a true criminal, but a White hacker or ethical hacker. Hacking was only an adrenaline rushEspecially when he manages to infiltrate a system, as he explains in Kevin Mitnick's documentary Pirates and Geeks: The Hacker's Life.
His first shot
In 1980, at the age of 17, he committed his first crime. Accompanied by his friends, they broke into the prestigious COSMOS telephone exchange in Los Angeles. It's a computer center that archives all telephone calls. To hack into it, he had to gain access to confidential telephone exchange user manuals. Unfortunately, he was reported to the police by his girlfriend. Then he was accused of data degradationHe was sentenced to three months in a reformatory and a year's probation.
This so-called "exemplary" sanction has further developed the desire to pirate, which has become almost a formality. "addiction for him. Then he went to the Digital Equipment Corporation or DEC research lab in Palto Alto. He view the VMS operating system source code for its VAX range of computers. So, along with an inside source, Lenny DiCicco, he contributed to the lab intrusion. However, the accomplice was touchy. When he was the target of yet another bad hacker hoax, he decided to sell out to his employer and the FBI. He then set Mitnick up with a fake rendezvous, where two FBI agents were waiting to bust him.
Mitnick is accused of stealing several million dollars software. He pleaded guilty only to computer fraud and illegal possession access codes for long-distance calls. For this he received a one-year prison sentence. Today, too, the bank is vulnerable, especially the card. In our article, find out more... how to hack a bank card in 6 seconds .
Author of several books translated into numerous languages, such as "The Art of Intrusion", "The art of Deception" etc., this iconic figure in the world of computer hacking died of pancreatic cancer. This emblematic figure of the hacking world died of pancreatic cancer on July 16, 2023, at the age of 53 in Las Vegas. He leaves behind his wife Kimberley, who is pregnant with their first child. A tragic end? In your opinion, did this legendary hacker live out his dreams? Let us know what you think in the comments!
