Kevin Mitnick
American hacker turned security consultant and author.
Kevin David Mitnick was an American computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker. Born on August 6, 1963, in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, he was raised in a Jewish family in Los Angeles. At age 12, he tricked a bus driver into telling him where to buy a ticket punch for a supposed school project, then used discarded transfer slips from a dumpster to ride buses across the greater Los Angeles area for free. He attended James Monroe High School in North Hills, where he became a licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign WA6VPS (later restored as N6NHG after prison). He adopted the nickname "Condor" after the film *Three Days of the Condor*, and later studied at Los Angeles Pierce College and USC.
For a time, he worked as a receptionist at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles. His hacking began in 1979 at age 16, when a friend gave him the phone number for the Ark, a DEC computer system used for developing RSTS/E software. He broke into DEC’s network and copied its software, leading to a 1988 conviction and a 12-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release. Near the end of that release, he hacked into Pacific Bell voicemail computers. A warrant was issued, and he became a fugitive for two and a half years. While on the run, the Department of Justice said he accessed dozens of computer networks, used cloned cell phones to hide his location, copied proprietary software from major phone and computer companies, intercepted passwords, altered networks, and read private emails.
The FBI arrested him on February 15, 1995, in Raleigh, North Carolina, on federal charges tied to that period of hacking, including computer and wire fraud. He was found with cloned cell phones, over 100 cloned cellular codes, and multiple fake IDs. In 1998, he was charged in federal court with 14 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of possession of unauthorized access devices, interception of communications, unauthorized access to a federal computer, and causing computer damage. As part of a plea bargain in 1999, he pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, two counts of computer fraud, and one count of illegally intercepting a wire communication.
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Kevin David Mitnick
- Birth Date
- 1963-08-06
- Birth Place
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Death Date
- 2023-07-16
- Death Place
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Boards
- KnowBe4
- Criminal Penalty
- 1988: One year prison / 1999: 46 months prison plus 3 years probation
- Spouse
- Bonnie Vitello · 1987 · 1989 / Kimberley Mitnick · 2022
- Organization
- Mitnick Security Consulting / Chief Hacking Officer at KnowBe4, Inc
- Occupation
- Information technology consultant / Author
- Other Names
- The Condor, The Darkside Hacker
- Callsign
- N6NHG
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Mitnick grew up in Los Angeles, California, and became a licensed amateur radio operator while attending James Monroe High School. At age 12, he convinced a bus driver to tell him where to buy a ticket punch for a school project, then rode buses using unused transfer slips from a dumpster. He chose the nickname 'Condor' after watching the movie Three Days of the Condor. At 16, he gained unauthorized access to a computer network when a friend gave him the telephone number for the Ark, the computer system Digital Equipment Corporation used for developing its RSTS/E operating system software. He broke into DEC's network and copied software, for which he was charged and convicted in 1988, receiving 12 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Near the end of that release, he hacked into Pacific Bell voicemail computers and became a fugitive for two-and-a-half years. As a fugitive, he gained unauthorized access to dozens of computer networks, used cloned cellular phones to hide his location, copied proprietary software, intercepted passwords, altered networks, and read private emails. After his arrest in 1995, he was found with cloned cell phones, more than 100 cloned cellular phone codes, and multiple pieces of false identification. He pleaded guilty in 1999 to four counts of wire fraud, two counts of computer fraud, and one count of illegally intercepting a wire communication. He was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison plus 22 months for violating supervised release. He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome but did not use it as evidence. Law enforcement officials convinced a judge that he could 'start a nuclear war by whistling into a pay phone,' leading to eight months in solitary confinement. He was released on January 21, 2000, and during supervised release was initially forbidden to use any communications technology other than a landline telephone. In December 2001, an FCC judge ruled him sufficiently rehabilitated to possess a federally issued amateur radio license.
Reader's Guide
Mitnick's case tested new laws enacted for dealing with computer crime and raised public awareness of security involving networked computers. The controversy remains, and his story is often cited as an example of the influence of news media on law enforcement personnel. After his release, he became a security consultant, public speaker, and author. In 2002, he co-founded Defensive Thinking Inc, developing the Certified Social Engineering Prevention Specialist program, a multi-module corporate security-awareness training course focused on defending against social engineering attacks. The curriculum covered pretexting, elicitation, psychological manipulation, dumpster diving, and organizational vulnerabilities. He carried out security consulting, penetration testing, and social engineering training for companies and government agencies. He testified before the United States House Committee on Financial Services regarding computer security and identity theft. He ran Mitnick Security Consulting LLC and was part owner and Chief Hacking Officer at KnowBe4, a provider of security awareness training and simulated phishing testing. He also served on the advisory board of Zimperium, a mobile security company. He resided in Las Vegas, Nevada. His death from pancreatic cancer occurred on July 16, 2023, at a Pittsburgh hospital. At the time, he was married and his wife was pregnant with their first child, a son. His wife remains active in the cybersecurity and hacking communities.
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