He was a genius, a magician, and a businessman.
On July 16, 2023, Kevin Mitnick, a former hacker who was once one of the most wanted computer criminals in the United States, died. This was announced on Wednesday by a cybersecurity training company that he co-founded and a funeral home in Las Vegas. He was 59 years old.
According to Kathy Wattman, a spokeswoman for KnowBe4, the cause of death was complications from pancreatic cancer. He was being treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center after being diagnosed with the disease more than a year ago, according to information from King David Memorial Chapel & Cemetery in Las Vegas.
After serving a prison sentence for hacking and tampering with corporate computer networks, he was released in 2000 and began a new career as a security consultant, writer, and public speaker.
Mitnick was best known for a crime spree in the 1990s that involved stealing thousands of data files and credit card numbers from computers across the country. He used his skills to infiltrate the country's telephone and cellular networks, vandalizing government, corporate and university computer systems.
Investigators at the time called him the "most wanted" computer hacker in the world.
In 1995, after more than two years of hunting, Mr. Mitnick was caught by the FBI and charged with illegal use of mobile devices and computer fraud. "He allegedly had access to millions of dollars' worth of corporate trade secrets. He was a very big threat, " Kent Walker, a former assistant U.S. attorney in San Francisco, said at the time.
In 1998, while Mr. Mitnick was awaiting sentencing, a group of supporters took over The New York Times website for several hours, forcing it to shut down.
The following year, Mr. Mitnick was convicted of computer fraud and wire fraud under an agreement with prosecutors, and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. He was also banned from using a computer or cell phone without the permission of his bailiff for three years after his release.
Mr. Mitnick grew up in Los Angeles as the only child of divorced parents. He moved frequently and was somewhat lonely learning magic tricks, according to his 2011 memoir, Ghost in the Wire.
At the age of 12, Mr. Mitnick learned to ride a bus for free, using a $ 15 punch card and empty tickets fished out of the trash, and at school he developed an obsession with the inner workings of switches and telephone company circuits.
At the age of 17, he infiltrated various corporate computer systems and eventually clashed with the authorities for these actions. This was the beginning of a decade-long cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement.
In his memoirs, Mr. Mitnick disputed many of the allegations made against him, including that he hacked into government computer systems.
Mr. Mitnick also claimed that he ignored the credit card numbers he received in his quest for the code. "Anyone who likes to play chess knows that it's enough to beat their opponent. You don't have to loot his kingdom or seize his assets for it to be worth it," he wrote in his book.
On July 16, 2023, Kevin Mitnick, a former hacker who was once one of the most wanted computer criminals in the United States, died. This was announced on Wednesday by a cybersecurity training company that he co-founded and a funeral home in Las Vegas. He was 59 years old.
According to Kathy Wattman, a spokeswoman for KnowBe4, the cause of death was complications from pancreatic cancer. He was being treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center after being diagnosed with the disease more than a year ago, according to information from King David Memorial Chapel & Cemetery in Las Vegas.
After serving a prison sentence for hacking and tampering with corporate computer networks, he was released in 2000 and began a new career as a security consultant, writer, and public speaker.
Mitnick was best known for a crime spree in the 1990s that involved stealing thousands of data files and credit card numbers from computers across the country. He used his skills to infiltrate the country's telephone and cellular networks, vandalizing government, corporate and university computer systems.
Investigators at the time called him the "most wanted" computer hacker in the world.
In 1995, after more than two years of hunting, Mr. Mitnick was caught by the FBI and charged with illegal use of mobile devices and computer fraud. "He allegedly had access to millions of dollars' worth of corporate trade secrets. He was a very big threat, " Kent Walker, a former assistant U.S. attorney in San Francisco, said at the time.
In 1998, while Mr. Mitnick was awaiting sentencing, a group of supporters took over The New York Times website for several hours, forcing it to shut down.
The following year, Mr. Mitnick was convicted of computer fraud and wire fraud under an agreement with prosecutors, and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. He was also banned from using a computer or cell phone without the permission of his bailiff for three years after his release.
Mr. Mitnick grew up in Los Angeles as the only child of divorced parents. He moved frequently and was somewhat lonely learning magic tricks, according to his 2011 memoir, Ghost in the Wire.
At the age of 12, Mr. Mitnick learned to ride a bus for free, using a $ 15 punch card and empty tickets fished out of the trash, and at school he developed an obsession with the inner workings of switches and telephone company circuits.
At the age of 17, he infiltrated various corporate computer systems and eventually clashed with the authorities for these actions. This was the beginning of a decade-long cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement.
In his memoirs, Mr. Mitnick disputed many of the allegations made against him, including that he hacked into government computer systems.
Mr. Mitnick also claimed that he ignored the credit card numbers he received in his quest for the code. "Anyone who likes to play chess knows that it's enough to beat their opponent. You don't have to loot his kingdom or seize his assets for it to be worth it," he wrote in his book.
