Kevin Mitnick

Kevin David Mitnick
Adrian Lamo, Kevin Mitnick and Kevin Poulsen (photo ca. 2001)
Born	August 6, 1963 (1963-08-06) (age 48) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Computer Consultant, Mitnick Security Consulting Author
Website
http://www.kevinmitnick.com

Kevin David Mitnick (born on August 6, 1963) is a computer security consultant, author, and hacker. In the late 20th century, he was convicted of various computer- and communications-related crimes. At the time of his arrest, he was the most-wanted computer criminal in the United States.^[1]

Personal life

Mitnick grew up in Los Angeles and attended Monroe High School.^[2] He was enrolled at Pierce College and UCLA.^[2] He worked as a receptionist for Stephen S. Wise Temple for a while.^[2]

Computer hacking

At age 12, Mitnick used social engineering to bypass the punchcard system used in the Los Angeles bus system. After a friendly bus driver told him where he could buy his own ticket punch, he could ride any bus in the greater LA area using unused transfer slips he found in the trash. Social engineering became his primary method of obtaining information, including user names and passwords and modem phone numbers.^[3]

Mitnick gained unauthorized access to his first computer network in 1979, at 16, when a friend gave him the phone number for the Ark, the computer system Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) used for developing their RSTS/E operating system software. He broke into DEC's computer network and copied their software, a crime he was charged with and convicted of 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 voice mail computers. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Mitnick fled, becoming a fugitive for two and a half years.

According to the U.S. 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. Mitnick also intercepted and stole computer passwords, altered computer networks, and broke into and read private e-mail. Mitnick was apprehended on Valentine's Day, 1995 in Raleigh, North Carolina.^[4] He was found with cloned cellular phones, more than 100 clone cellular phone codes, and multiple pieces of false identification.^[5]

Confirmed criminal acts

• Using the Los Angeles bus transfer system to get free rides^[6]
• Evading the FBI^[7]
• Hacking into DEC system(s) to view VMS source code (DEC reportedly spent $160,000 in cleanup costs)^[6][7]
• Gaining full administrator privileges to an IBM minicomputer at the Computer Learning Center in Los Angeles in order to win a bet^[6]
• Hacking Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Sun Microsystems and Fujitsu Siemens systems^[7]

Alleged criminal acts

• Stole computer manuals from a Pacific Bell telephone switching center in Los Angeles^[8]
• Read the e-mail of computer security officials at MCI Communications and Digital^[8]
• Wiretapped the California DMV^[8]
• Made free cell phone calls^[9]
• Hacked Santa Cruz Operation, Pacific Bell, FBI, Pentagon, Novell, California Department of Motor Vehicles, University of Southern California and Los Angeles Unified School District systems.
• Wiretapped NSA agents, according to John Markoff.^[8] This was originally denied by Kevin Mitnick^[10] but later mentioned by Mitnick while listing his crimes as a juvenile in an interview with Stephen Colbert on an August 18, 2011 episode of The Colbert Report.

Arrest, conviction, and incarceration

Supporters from 2600 Magazine distributed "Free Kevin" bumper stickers.

After a well-publicized pursuit, the FBI arrested Mitnick on February 15, 1995, at his apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina, on federal offenses related to a 2½-year period of computer hacking.^[11]

In 1999, Mitnick confessed 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 agreement 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 PacBell voicemail and other systems and to associating with known computer hackers, in this case co-defendant Lewis De Payne.

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".^[12] He 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. Mitnick fought this decision in court, eventually winning a ruling in his favor, allowing him to access the Internet. Under the plea deal, Mitnick was also prohibited from profiting from films or books based on his criminal activity for seven years. Mitnick now runs Mitnick Security Consulting LLC, a computer security consultancy.

Controversy

Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and trial, along with the associated journalism were all controversial.

Though Mitnick has been convicted of copying software unlawfully and possession of several forged identification documents, his supporters argue that his punishment was excessive. In his 2002 book, The Art of Deception, Mitnick states that he compromised computers solely by using passwords and codes that he gained by social engineering. He claims he did not use software programs or hacking tools for cracking passwords or otherwise exploiting computer or phone security.

Two books explored the allegations: John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura's Takedown, and Jonathan Littman's The Fugitive Game. Littman made four main allegations:

• journalistic impropriety by Markoff, who had covered the case for the New York Times based on rumor and government claims, while never interviewing Mitnick himself.
• overzealous prosecution of Mitnick by the government
• mainstream media over-hyping Mitnick's actual crimes
• Shimomura's involvement in the matter being unclear or of dubious legality

Further controversy came over the release of the movie based on the book by John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura, with Littman alleging that portions of the film were taken from his book without permission.

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 Mitnick is often cited today as an example of the quintessential computer criminal.

Supporters of Mitnick have asserted that many of the charges against him were fraudulent^[13] and not based on actual losses.^[14]

Media

In 2000, Skeet Ulrich and Russell Wong portrayed Kevin Mitnick and Tsutomu Shimomura in the movie Track Down (known as Take Down outside the USA), which was based on the book Takedown by John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura. The DVD was released in September 2004.^[15] A fan-based documentary named Freedom Downtime was created in response to Take Down.

Mitnick is the co-author, with William L. Simon, of two computer security books and his autobiography:

• The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers^[16]
• The Art of Deception^[17]
• Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker^[18]

On August 18, 2011, Mitnick appeared on The Colbert Report to talk about his new book.^[19] On August 23, Mitnick was interviewed on Coast to Coast AM during the episode "Hacking & Technology".^[20] On August 24, he appeared on the TWiT.tv network's Triangulation episode.^[21]

On September 12, Mitnick answered readers' questions on the technology news site Slashdot.^[22] This was the second time he was interviewed on Slashdot, the first time being in February 2003.^[23]

Mitnick is also referenced in one of the in-game emails of the videogame Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

On the Rockstar videogame Grand Theft Auto III, on the Chatterbox Radio Station (which can be accessed in-game) a paranoid caller yells "FREE KEVIN" before he's cut off by the DJ.

On the Rockstar videogame Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, on the WCTR Radio Station (which can be accessed in-game) the same paranoid caller says he could "launch a nuclear attack by whistling into a phone", a clear reference to the charges thrown onto Kevin Mitnick prior incarceration.

See also

• List of convicted computer criminals
• Hacker (computer security)
• The Cuckoo's Egg

Notes

1. ^ "Kevin Mitnick sentenced to nearly four years in prison; computer hacker ordered to pay restitution to victim companies whose systems were compromised" (Press release). United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California. 9 August 1999. http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/mitnick.htm. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Mitnick, Kevin (2011). Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316037702. 
3. ^ Greene, Thomas C. (13 January 2003). "Chapter One: Kevin Mitnick's story". The Register. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/01/13/chapter_one_kevin_mitnicks_story/. 
4. ^ Colbert Report
5. ^ Painter, Christopher M.E. (March 2001). "Supervised Release and Probation Restrictions in Hacker Cases". United States Attorneys’ USA Bulletin (Executive Office for United States Attorneys) 49 (2). http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/usamarch2001_7.htm. 
6. ^ ^{a b c} 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)
7. ^ ^{a b c} 2600 Live Mitnick interview, 2600 Magazine, Released January 2003, Run time: 1 hr 18 min 5 sec
8. ^ ^{a b c d} Markoff, John (February 16, 1995). "A Most-Wanted Cyberthief Is Caught in His Own Web". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/16/us/a-most-wanted-cyberthief-is-caught-in-his-own-web.html. 
9. ^ Chappelle, Joe (Director) (2000). Takedown. 
10. ^ "A convicted hacker debunks some myths". CNN.com. 13 October 2005. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/10/07/kevin.mitnick.cnna/. Retrieved 2008-08-27. 
11. ^ "Fugitive computer hacker arrested in North Carolina" (Press release). United States Department of Justice. 15 February 1995. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html. 
12. ^ Mills, Elinor (20 July 2008). "Social Engineering 101: Mitnick and other hackers show how it's done". CNET News. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9995253-83.html. 
13. ^ Randolph, Donald C.. "About Kevin's Case". Free Kevin Mitnick. Archived from the original on 2006-04-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20060424153130/http://www.freekevin.com/about.html. 
14. ^ "Defense consolidated motion for sanctions and for reconsideration of motion for discovery and application for expert fees based upon new facts". Free Kevin Mitnick. 7 June 1999. Archived from the original on 2005-12-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20051222124635/http://www.freekevin.com/060799defmot.html. 
15. ^ Skeet Ulrich, Russell Wong (2004). Track Down (DVD). Dimension Studios. 
16. ^ 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. http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0764569597.html. 
17. ^ 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. http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-076454280X.html. 
18. ^ 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. http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316037709.htm. 
19. ^ "Kevin Mitnick - The Colbert Report". The Colbert Report. video clip: Comedy Central. 18 August 2011. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/395003/august-18-2011/kevin-mitnick. Retrieved 12 September 2011. 
20. ^ "Hacking & Technology". Coast To Coast AM With George Noory. 23 August 2011. http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2011/08/23. Retrieved 12 September 2011. 
21. ^ "Triangulation #21". TWiT. 24 August 2011. http://www.twit.tv/tri21. Retrieved 12 September 2011. 
22. ^ "Kevin Mitnick Answers". Slashdot (Geeknet Inc.). 12 September 2011. http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/09/12/1234252/Kevin-Mitnick-Answers. Retrieved 12 September 2011. 
23. ^ "Kevin Mitnick Answers". Slashdot (Geeknet Inc.). 5 February 2011. http://slashdot.org/story/03/02/04/2233250/Kevin-Mitnick-Answers. Retrieved 12 September 2011. 

References

Books

• Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon, Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker, 2011, Hardback ISBN 978-0316037709
• Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon, The Art Of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind The Exploits Of Hackers, Intruders, And Deceivers, 2005, Hardback ISBN 0471782661
• Jeff Goodell, The Cyberthief and the Samurai: The True Story of Kevin Mitnick-And the Man Who Hunted Him Down, 1996, ISBN 978-0440222057
• 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, Cyber Punk - Outlaws and Hackers On The Computer Frontier, 1995, ISBN 1-872180-94-9

Articles

• Littman, Jonathan (June, 2007). "The Invisible Digital Man". Playboy. http://www.scribd.com/doc/48726473/Kevin-Mitnick. 
• Fost, Dan (May 4, 2000). "Movie About Notorious Hacker Inspires a Tangle of Suits and Subplots". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/05/04/BU71498.DTL. Retrieved 2007-04-24. 

External links

• 2600 Live Mitnick interview, 2600 Magazine, Released January 2003, Run time: 1 hr 18 min 5 sec
• Mitnick Security Consulting (formerly known as Defensive Thinking), Kevin Mitnick's new company.
• TAKEDOWN, last accessed March 16, 2009
• A CNN Interview with Kevin Mitnick, last accessed September 15, 2006
• Freedom Downtime, the 2600 documentary.
• The Kevin Mitnick/Tsutomu Shimomura affair - lots of information on the case.
• The missing Chapter 1 of Mitnick's book
• Mitnick interview February 5, 2003
• The interview for HACK.pl
• Mitnick's testimony before US Senate Committee on Computer Security

Persondata
Name	Mitnick, Kevin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1963-08-06
Place of birth	Los Angeles, California
Date of death
Place of death