If you're looking for other stories, The Art of Deception (Mitnick specific) and The Art of Intrusion (not all Mitnick) have a ton.
Those two books, plus Ghost in the Wires, are absolute must reads for anyone who visits HN
Kevin Mitnick has died
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Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#152He made me. I remember back in my teen years reading interviews with him, I was back in phreaking scene. He was a hero. He is a hero. What a loss.
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#153I missed meeting Kevin Mitnick at the infamous HOPE 2006 conference where he was set to speak, but he was waylaid by something or other and he landed in the hospital. His reputation was still a presence through those few days though, just a few short years after his release from prison.
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#154dang / mods: if anyone passing deserves the HN black banner, I think Mitnick deserves the banner.
As one of the people whose credit card number was stolen from Netcom, I would strongly object to this. I'm not here to speak poorly of the dead, but I'm definitely here to judge those who think too highly of him.
As someone else whose credit card info was stolen from Netcom, I strongly support it.
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#155Takedown was my favorite movie as a kid. It influenced me a lot. In Brazil is not common to have a bathtub in your bathroom, we used suicide showers (term that I recently learned on YouTube); anyway, the image of Mitnick hacking in the tube on his laptop resonated with me, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
May he rest in peace.
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#156Worth noting that Wikipedia at the time of this post is refusing to acknowledge his death, citing poor sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kevin_Mitnick&act...
Hope he is alive and well. May he rest in peace if not
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#157Oh my god. I was on the phone with him not that long ago discussing a red team project. I had no idea what was going on.
He was always generous and kind yet professional, despite us kind of fanning out. He had the ease of someone who knew what they were doing and didn’t feel they had anything to prove, which of course he didn’t.
I was looking forward to working with him more. I hate how you never know how a thing’s going to go.
Here’s to the innumerable things about modern connected society that are the way they are, whether indirectly or directly, because of Kevin Mitnick.
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#158Fuck man, this hit me hard and unexpected. Ghost in the Wires was one of my favorite books. Was fun to read about a true hacker, definitely inspired me. He was too young.
Can’t believe there is no black banner. This is hackernews.
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
It isn’t about thinking highly of him. His impact on security is well documented and very extensive. The black banner is used for honoring notable technologists who pass away. Regardless of personal thoughts, he was a very notable technologist and sort of first famous social engineer. I’m sorry he stole your cc.
Plus, Mitnick is practically the dictionary definition of "hacker".
I think "cracker" is the more apt term.
Re: Kevin Mitnick has died
#160Mitnick did remind myself as a preteen, even if it never seems he quite outgrew his own preteen antics. He was a gutsy guy who made life more rich and interesting in his own way. He never seemed to bend to the system’s will long after many of us so called anti-authoritarians would have thrown in the towel. When I read his books I alternated between fascination, revulsion, admiration, and shock. Mitnick above all wasn…
> Mitnick above all wasn’t boring and I think “not boring” doesn’t get enough credit in the measure of a man.
My wife might agree or disagree with you, depending on the day.