Kevin Mitnick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Mitnick
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Mitnick in 2010
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Kevin David Mitnick
August 6, 1963 Van Nuys, California, U.S.
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| Died | July 16, 2023 (aged 59) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Other names | The Condor, The Darkside Hacker |
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| Organization | 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. |
| Criminal penalty | 1988: One year prison. 1999: 46 months prison plus 3 years' probation |
| Call sign | N6NHG |
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.
Mitnick's pursuit, arrest, trial, and sentence along with the associated journalism, books, and films were all controversial.
Though Mitnick has been convicted of copying software unlawfully, his supporters argue that his punishment was excessive and that many of the charges against him were fraudulent and not based on actual losses.
John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura, who had both been part of the pursuit of Mitnick, wrote the book Takedown about Mitnick's capture.
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.
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, as well as an active advisory board member at Zimperium, a firm that develops a mobile intrusion prevention system.
He resided in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kevin Mitnick died from pancreatic cancer on July 16, 2023, at the age of 59. He left behind a wife and an unborn child.
Media
In 2000, Skeet Ulrich and Russell Wong portrayed Kevin 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 Tsutomu Shimomura. The DVD was released in September 2004.
Mitnick also appeared in Werner Herzog's documentary Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World (2016).
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
- (2005) The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers
- (2011) Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker
- (2017) The Art of Invisibility
Authorized by Mitnick
- (1996) The Fugitive Game: Online with Kevin Mitnick, Jonathan Littman
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Mitnick para niños
