View source for Kevin Mitnick

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{{Short description|American hacker (1963–2023)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Kevin Mitnick
| image              = Kevin Mitnick ex hacker y ahora famoso consultor en redes en Campus Party México 2010.jpg
| caption            = Mitnick in 2010
| birth_name         = Kevin David Mitnick
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1963|8|6}}
| birth_place        = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2023|7|16|1963|8|6}}
| death_place        = [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
| criminal_charge    = 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<ref name="sciencedirect.com" /><ref>{{cite web |website= sourcedns.com |url=http://servv89pn0aj.sn.sourcedns.com/~gbpprorg/2600/mitnick_is_guilty/indictment.html |title=Kevin Mitnick's Federal Indictment |access-date=September 13, 2014 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518042134/http://servv89pn0aj.sn.sourcedns.com/~gbpprorg/2600/mitnick_is_guilty/indictment.html |archive-date=May 18, 2014}}</ref>
| boards             = KnowBe4
| criminal penalty   = {{Plainlist|
* 1988: One year prison<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html |title=#089 Fugitive Computer Hacker Arrested in North Carolina |work=justice.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130613162729/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html |archive-date=June 13, 2013}}</ref>
* 1999: 46 months prison plus 3 years probation
}}
| spouse             = {{marriage|Bonnie Vitello|1987|1989}}<ref name="latimes_condor">{{cite web |last1=O’NEILL |first1=ANN W. |title='Condor' Myth Loop of Contradictions : Computers: To some, Kevin Mitnick is an electronic terrorist. Others say he's a prankster. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-18-mn-33388-story.html |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 18, 1995 |access-date=21 January 2025}}</ref>
{{marriage|Kimberley Mitnick|2022}}
| organization       = {{Plainlist|
* Mitnick Security Consulting
* Chief Hacking Officer at KnowBe4, Inc
}}
| nationality        = 
| occupation         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Information technology consulting|Information technology consultant]]
* Author
}}
| alias              = The Condor, The Darkside Hacker
| callsign           = N6NHG<ref>{{cite web|title=HEARING DESIGNATION ORDER (FCC 01-359)|url=https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-01-359A1.pdf|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=December 3, 2015|date=December 21, 2001|archive-date=August 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803013337/https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-01-359A1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.mitnicksecurity.com}}
}}

'''Kevin David Mitnick''' (August 6, 1963 – July 16, 2023) was an American [[computer security]] consultant, author, and convicted [[Hacker (computer security)|hacker]]. In 1995, he was arrested for various computer and communications-related crimes, and spent five years in prison after being convicted of fraud and illegally intercepting communications.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html |title=Kevin Mitnick sentenced to nearly four years in prison; computer hacker ordered to pay restitution to victim companies whose systems were compromised |website=justice.gov |date=August 9, 1999 |publisher=[[United States Attorney's Office]], Central District of California |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613162729/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html |archive-date=June 13, 2013}}</ref>
Mitnick's pursuit, arrest, trial and sentence were all controversial, as were the associated media coverage, books, and films,<ref name="kroll">{{cite web |url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5052 |title=Free Kevin, Kevin Freed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207101421/https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/5052 |archive-date=December 7, 2017 |date=January 21, 2000 |first=Jason |last=Kroll |website=Linux Journal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://digital.asiaone.com/digital/news/ex-hacker-reveals-tricks-trade |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723002954/http://digital.asiaone.com/digital/news/ex-hacker-reveals-tricks-trade |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 23, 2015 |title=Ex-hacker reveals tricks of the trade |work=AsiaOne Digital}}</ref> with his supporters arguing that his punishment was excessive and that many of the charges against him were fraudulent,<ref name=FreeKevinAbout>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060424153130/http://www.freekevin.com/about.html | url = http://www.freekevin.com/about.html | archive-date = April 24, 2006 | title = About Kevin's Case | work = Free Kevin Mitnick | first = Donald C. | last = Randolph}}</ref> and not based on actual losses.<ref name=FreeKevinMemo>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051222124635/http://www.freekevin.com/060799defmot.html | url = http://www.freekevin.com/060799defmot.html | archive-date = December 22, 2005 |title=Defense consolidated motion for sanctions and for reconsideration of motion for discovery and application for expert fees based upon new facts | work = Free Kevin Mitnick | date =June 7, 1999}}</ref> After his release from prison, he ran his own security firm, Mitnick Security Consulting, LLC, and was also involved with other computer security businesses.

==Early life and education==
Mitnick was born on August 6, 1963,<ref name="WaPoObit" /> in [[Van Nuys]], [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. His father was Alan Mitnick, his mother was Shelly Jaffe, and his maternal grandmother was Reba Vartanian.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last1=Albeck-Ripka |first1=Livia |last2=Mayorquin |first2=Orlando |date=July 20, 2023 |title=Kevin Mitnick, Hacker Who Once Eluded Authorities, Is Dead at 59 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/20/technology/kevin-mitnick-dead-hacker.html |url-status=live |access-date=July 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721083417/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/20/technology/kevin-mitnick-dead-hacker.html |archive-date=July 21, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cosmolearning.org/documentaries/freedom-downtime-the-story-of-kevin-mitnick-2001/ |title=Freedom Downtime - The Story of Kevin Mitnick (2001) |website=CosmoLearning |date=August 20, 2009 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |archive-date=September 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906142646/https://cosmolearning.org/documentaries/freedom-downtime-the-story-of-kevin-mitnick-2001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mitnick was Jewish,<ref>{{cite news |last=Percival |first=Richard |date=2023-07-21 |title=Famed US hacker Kevin Mitnick, once dubbed 'America's most wanted', dies aged 59 |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/famed-us-hacker-kevin-mitnick-once-dubbed-americas-most-wanted-dies-aged-59-q9twbwke |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |quote=The Jewish cybercriminal... |access-date=2024-07-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/158220 |title="Hacker" Kevin Mitnick's Dramatic Turnaround |last=Bresky |first=Ben |date=2012-07-24 |website=[[Arutz Sheva]] |access-date=2024-07-14 |quote=In the book, released in 2011, Mitnick briefly describes his bar mitzvah and secular Jewish upbringing in California.}}</ref> and grew up in Los Angeles, California.<ref name="WaPoObit" /> At age 12, Mitnick convinced a bus driver to tell him where he could buy his own [[ticket punch]] for "a school project", and was then able to ride any bus in the greater Los Angeles area using unused transfer slips he found in a dumpster next to the bus company garage.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/01/13/chapter_one_kevin_mitnicks_story |title=Chapter One: Kevin Mitnick's story |website=[[The Register]] |date=January 13, 2003 |first=Thomas C. |last=Greene |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912150528/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/01/13/chapter_one_kevin_mitnicks_story/ |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Mitnick attended [[James Monroe High School (California)|James Monroe High School]] in [[North Hills, Los Angeles|North Hills]],<ref name="ghostinwiresmya00mitn_0" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Hacker Arraigned in Computer Fraud Case |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-01-me-49310-story.html |access-date=July 20, 2023 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=October 1, 1996 |quote=... as a student at James Monroe High School in North Hills, he broke into the Los Angeles Unified School District’s computers. |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720184808/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-01-me-49310-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> during which time he became a licensed [[amateur radio]] operator with callsign WA6VPS<ref>{{cite web|title=INITIAL DECISION OF CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE RICHARD L. SIPPEL (FCC 02D-02)|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/fcc-02d-02a1.pdf|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=October 1, 2025|date=December 23, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Mills |first=Elinor |title=Q&A: Kevin Mitnick, from ham operator to fugitive to consultant |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/q-a-kevin-mitnick-from-ham-operator-to-fugitive-to-consultant/ |website=cnet.com |publisher=[[CNET]] |access-date=December 18, 2017 |date=June 22, 2009 |archive-date=December 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228123941/https://www.cnet.com/news/q-a-kevin-mitnick-from-ham-operator-to-fugitive-to-consultant/ |url-status=live}}</ref> (his license was restored after imprisonment with callsign N6NHG<ref>{{cite web |title=Mitnick Granted Ham License |url=https://www.wired.com/2002/12/mitnick-granted-ham-license/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=August 3, 2023 |date=December 27, 2002 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720153206/https://www.wired.com/2002/12/mitnick-granted-ham-license/ |url-status=live }}</ref>). He chose the nickname "Condor" after watching the movie ''[[Three Days of the Condor]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Internet : a historical encyclopedia |date=2005 |first1=Hilary W.|last1=Poole | first2=Laura |last2=Lambert |first3=Chris |last3=Woodford |first4=Christos J. P. |last4=Moschovitis |author-link3=Chris Woodford (author) |isbn=1-85109-664-7 |publisher=[[ABC-Clio]] |location=Santa Barbara, California |oclc=62211803 }}</ref> He was later enrolled at [[Los Angeles Pierce College]] and [[University of Southern California|USC]].<ref name="ghostinwiresmya00mitn_0" />

==Career==
For a time, Mitnick worked as a receptionist for [[Stephen S. Wise Temple]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="ghostinwiresmya00mitn_0" />

===Computer hacking===
Mitnick gained unauthorized access to a computer network in 1979, at 16, when a friend gave him the [[telephone number]] for the Ark, the computer system that [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] (DEC) used for developing its [[RSTS/E]] operating system software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thememoryhole.org/lit/deception-ch1.htm |title= The Missing Chapter from The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick|website=thememoryhole.org|access-date=February 16, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090317050834/http://www.thememoryhole.org/lit/deception-ch1.htm|archive-date=March 17, 2009}}</ref> He broke into DEC's [[computer network]] and copied the company's software, a crime for which he was charged and convicted 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]] voicemail computers. After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Mitnick fled, becoming a fugitive for two-and-a-half years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-16-mn-32768-story.html|title=Fugitive North Hills Hacker Arrested in N. Carolina : Crime: Kevin Mitnick eluded authorities for two years. He is alleged to have cost victims millions.|first1=John|last1=Johnson|first2=Ronald J. |last2=Ostrow |first3=Josh| last3=Meyer |date=February 16, 1995|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 20, 2023|archive-date=June 27, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230627002615/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-16-mn-32768-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Department of Justice]], Mitnick gained unauthorized access to dozens of computer networks while he was a fugitive. He used [[Phone cloning|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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tamaki |first=Julie |date=September 27, 1996 |title=Famed Hacker Is Indicted by U.S. Grand Jury |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-27-me-48189-story.html |access-date=July 22, 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722023900/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-27-me-48189-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="rose">{{Cite book |last=Rose |first=E. Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RqrjCgAAQBAJ&dq=mitnick+altered+computer+networks&pg=PA22 |title=Millionaire Within: Untold Stories from the Internet Underworld |date=December 1, 2015 |publisher=Morgan James Publishing |isbn=978-1-63047-346-4 |pages=22 |language=en |access-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722183419/https://books.google.com/books?id=RqrjCgAAQBAJ&dq=mitnick+altered+computer+networks&pg=PA22 |url-status=live }}</ref> Mitnick also intercepted and stole computer [[password]]s, altered computer networks, and broke into and read private emails.<ref name="rose" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Byrne |first=Michael |date=September 27, 2014 |title=Kevin Mitnick Offers a Peek Inside the Cryptic Zero-Day Marketplace |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/kevin-mitnick-offers-a-peek-inside-the-bizarre-zero-day-exploit-market/ |access-date=July 22, 2023 |website=Vice |language=en |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722024144/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wnjpqw/kevin-mitnick-offers-a-peek-inside-the-bizarre-zero-day-exploit-market |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Arrest, conviction, and incarceration ====
[[File:Free Kevin sticker.svg|thumb|alt=Black sans serif text "FREE KEVIN" on a yellow background|Supporters from ''[[2600: The Hacker Quarterly|2600 Magazine]]'' distributed "Free Kevin" [[bumper sticker]]s.<ref>{{cite web | title=Freedom Downtime - The Story of Kevin Mitnick | website= archive.org| date=October 23, 2016 | url=https://archive.org/details/FreedomDowntime-TheStoryOfKevinMitnick | access-date=May 14, 2019}}</ref>]]
After a well-publicized pursuit, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] arrested Mitnick on February 15, 1995 at his apartment in [[Raleigh, North Carolina|Raleigh]], [[North Carolina]] on federal offenses related to a two-and-a-half-year period of computer hacking that included computer and [[Mail and wire fraud#Wire fraud|wire fraud]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html |title=Fugitive computer hacker arrested in North Carolina |date=February 15, 1995 |publisher=[[United States Department of Justice]] |website= usdoj.gov |archive-url= https://archive.today/20120629/http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/February95/89.txt.html |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>''[[The Colbert Report]]''{{nonspecific|date=July 2023}}</ref> He was found with cloned cell phones, more than 100 cloned cellular phone codes, and multiple pieces of false identification.<ref>{{cite journal | url = http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao/legacy/2006/06/30/usab4902.pdf | title = Supervised Release and Probation Restrictions in Hacker Cases | first = Christopher M. E. | last = Painter | journal = United States Attorneys' USA Bulletin | publisher = [[Executive Office for United States Attorneys]] | date = March 2001 | volume = 49 | issue = 2 | access-date = April 19, 2015 | archive-date = July 21, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150721034020/http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao/legacy/2006/06/30/usab4902.pdf | url-status = live}}</ref>

In 1998, Mitnick was charged in the [[United States District Court for the Central District of California]] with 14 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of possession of unauthorized access devices, interception of wire or electronic communications, unauthorized access to a federal computer, and causing damage to a computer.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1998/09/hacker-cant-get-access/|title=Hacker Can't Get Access|first=Arik|last=Hesseldahl|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|via=wired.com|date=September 4, 1998|access-date=July 20, 2023|archive-date=July 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720054608/https://www.wired.com/1998/09/hacker-cant-get-access/|url-status=live}}</ref> As part of a [[plea bargain]], Mitnick pleaded guilty in 1999 to four counts of wire fraud, two counts of computer fraud, and one count of illegally intercepting a wire communication. U.S. district judge [[Mariana Pfaelzer]] sentenced Mitnick to 46 months in federal 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 [[Pacific Bell]] voicemail and other systems and to associating with known computer hackers, in this case co-defendant Lewis De Payne.<ref name="sciencedirect.com">{{cite journal|title=Super-hacker Kevin Mitnick takes a plea| doi=10.1016/S1361-3723(99)90141-0|volume=1999|issue=5|page=6|journal= Computer Fraud & Security|year=1999|last=Gengler|first=Barbara}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/news/1997/cac70627_1.html|title=Computer Hacker Kevin Mitnick Sentenced to Prison |website=fas.org |publisher= Federation of American Scientists| date=June 27, 1997|access-date=February 16, 2020|archive-date=April 15, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190415034136/https://fas.org/irp/news/1997/cac70627_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kevin Mitnick sentenced to nearly four years in prison; computer hacker ordered to pay restitution to victim companies whose systems were compromised |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/mitnick.htm |publisher=United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California, U.S. Department of Justice |website= usdoj.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926231348/http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/mitnick.htm |archive-date=September 26, 2009 |date=August 9, 1999 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He was diagnosed with [[Asperger syndrome]], but it was not used as evidence because he pleaded guilty before going to trial.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/ghost-in-the-wires-the-kevin-mitnick-interview/|title=Ghost in the Wires: The Kevin Mitnick Interview|last=Hess|first=Ken|website=[[ZDNET]]|date=September 12, 2011|access-date=November 5, 2022|archive-date=November 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105223338/https://www.zdnet.com/article/ghost-in-the-wires-the-kevin-mitnick-interview/|url-status=live}}</ref>

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",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/social-engineering-101-mitnick-and-other-hackers-show-how-its-done/ |title=Social Engineering 101: Mitnick and other hackers show how it's done |date=July 20, 2008 |first=Elinor |last=Mills |work=[[CNET]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713/http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9995253-83.html |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> implying that law enforcement told the judge that he could somehow dial into the [[NORAD]] modem via a payphone from prison and [[phreaking|communicate with the modem by whistling]] to launch [[Nuclear weapons delivery|nuclear missiles]].<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1XsJW6X4pc&app=desktop/ | title = Famed hacker to Snowden: Watch out | work = [[CNN]] | access-date = May 8, 2020 | archive-date = March 30, 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220330233351/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1XsJW6X4pc&app=desktop/ | url-status = live}}</ref> In addition, a number of media outlets reported on the unavailability of [[Kashrut|kosher]] meals at the prison where he was incarcerated.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/1999/08/life-not-kosher-for-mitnick/|magazine=Wired |title=Life Not Kosher for Mitnick|last=Thomas|first=Douglas|date=August 18, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206212439/https://www.wired.com/1999/08/life-not-kosher-for-mitnick/|archive-date=6 December 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mitnick was released from prison on January 21, 2000. During his supervised release period, which ended on January 21, 2003, he was initially forbidden to use any communications technology other than a landline telephone.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bowker |first=Art |title=Hackers, Sex Offenders, and All the Rest |url=http://www.corrections.com/cybercrime/?p=365 |website= corrections.com| publisher= | access-date=September 14, 2018 |archive-date=September 14, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180914061033/http://www.corrections.com/cybercrime/?p=365 |url-status=live}}</ref> Under the plea deal, Mitnick was also prohibited from profiting from films or books based on his criminal activity for seven years, under a variation of the [[Son of Sam law]].<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.ulm.edu/news/2016/104-worlds-most-famous-hacker-kevin-mitnick-to-speak-ulm-business-symposium.html|title=World's most famous hacker Kevin Mitnick to speak at ULM Business Symposium|website= ulm.edu|access-date=July 20, 2023|archive-date=December 8, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221208100710/https://www.ulm.edu/news/2016/104-worlds-most-famous-hacker-kevin-mitnick-to-speak-ulm-business-symposium.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2001, a [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) judge ruled that Mitnick was sufficiently rehabilitated to possess a federally issued [[amateur radio]] license.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/technology/27HACK.html | title = F.C.C. Lets Convicted Hacker Go Back on Net | date = December 27, 2002 | work = [[The New York Times]] | access-date = February 19, 2017 | archive-date = March 6, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160306102431/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/technology/27HACK.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

==== Controversy ====
Mitnick's criminal activities, arrest, and trial, along with the associated journalism, were all controversial.<ref name="kroll" /> Though Mitnick was convicted of copying software unlawfully,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-27-fi-21393-story.html|title=Judge Accepts Mitnick's Guilty Plea on 7 Counts |last= Miller |first=Greg|date=March 27, 1999|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=February 16, 2020|archive-date=April 15, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190415034146/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-mar-27-fi-21393-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> his supporters argue that his punishment was excessive and that many of the charges against him were fraudulent<ref name=FreeKevinAbout/> and not based on actual losses.<ref name=FreeKevinMemo/>

[[John Markoff]] and [[Tsutomu Shimomura]], who had both been part of the pursuit of Mitnick, wrote the book ''Takedown'' about Mitnick's capture.<ref>{{Cite book |last1= Shimomura |first1=Tsutomo |title=Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw - By the Man Who Did It |last2=Markoff |first2=John |publisher=Hyperion |year=1996 |isbn=978-0786862108}}</ref>

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 and the Mitnick story is often cited today as an example of the [[Trial by media|influence of news media on law enforcement]] personnel.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/mitnick.background/ | title=The trials of Kevin Mitnick | date=March 18, 1999 | access-date=December 11, 2018 | first=John |last=Christensen | archive-date=December 8, 2018 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181208015525/http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/mitnick.background/ | url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Consulting ===
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,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2019/01/07|title=Cybercrime & Security|date=January 7, 2019|work=[[Coast to Coast AM]]|last=Noory|first=George|author-link=George Noory|access-date=January 8, 2019|archive-date=January 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108014033/https://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2019/01/07|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kevin-mitnick-partners-with-knowbe4-159403195.html|title=Kevin Mitnick Partners With KnowBe4|last=((KnowBe4))|website=prnewswire.com|language=en|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=May 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510091105/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kevin-mitnick-partners-with-knowbe4-159403195.html|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as an active advisory board member at [[Zimperium]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.computerworld.com/security/20712/interview-worlds-most-famous-hacker-kevin-mitnick-mobile-security-zimperium|title=Interview: World's most famous hacker, Kevin Mitnick, on mobile security & Zimperium|author=Darlene Storm|date=July 19, 2012|work=Computerworld|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226121347/http://blogs.computerworld.com/security/20712/interview-worlds-most-famous-hacker-kevin-mitnick-mobile-security-zimperium|archive-date=December 26, 2013}}</ref> a firm that develops a mobile intrusion prevention system.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/20/zimperium-raises-8m-for-mobile-security-that-turns-the-tables-on-attackers|title=Zimperium Raises $8M For Mobile Security That Turns The Tables On Attackers|author=Alex Williams|publisher=AOL|work=TechCrunch|date=December 20, 2013|access-date=June 25, 2017|archive-date=August 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813060207/https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/20/zimperium-raises-8m-for-mobile-security-that-turns-the-tables-on-attackers/|url-status=live}}</ref>
He resided in [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Kevin Mitnick's Security Advice|url=https://www.wired.com/2006/11/kevin-mitnicks-security-advice/|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=November 15, 2006|access-date=July 20, 2020|archive-date=July 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720232811/https://www.wired.com/2006/11/kevin-mitnicks-security-advice/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Death ==
Mitnick died from [[pancreatic cancer]] on July 16, 2023, at the age of 59 at a [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]] hospital.<ref name="nyt" /> At the time of his death, he was married and his wife, Kimberley Mitnick (age 36), was pregnant with their first child, a son.<ref name="WaPoObit">{{cite news |last=Cho |first=Kelly Kasulis |title=Kevin Mitnick, hacker and fugitive turned security consultant, dies at 59 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/07/20/kevin-mitnick-hacker-dies/ |access-date=July 20, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=July 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720120212/https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/07/20/kevin-mitnick-hacker-dies/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Kevin David Mitnick |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668 |website=Dignity Memorial |access-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720015722/https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Famed Hacker Kevin Mitnick Dead at 59 |url=https://www.securityweek.com/famed-hacker-kevin-mitnick-dead-at-59/ |website=SecurityWeek News |date=July 20, 2023 |access-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-date=July 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720031415/https://www.securityweek.com/famed-hacker-kevin-mitnick-dead-at-59/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Post - Kimberley Mitnick |url=https://x.com/kminx/status/1682027234796924928|access-date=2024-12-11 |website=X.com (formerly Twitter)}}</ref> Kimberly remains active in the cybersecurity and hacking communities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kimberly Mitnick one year death anniversary post |website=x.com |url=https://x.com/kminx/status/1813207405339017638}}</ref>

== Media ==
[[File:Lamo-Mitnick-Poulsen.png|thumb|Hacker [[Adrian Lamo]] (arrested 2003), Kevin Mitnick, and reformed hacker [[Kevin Poulsen]] (released from prison 1996) (photo {{c.}} 2001)]]

In 2000, [[Skeet Ulrich]] and [[Russell Wong]] portrayed 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 Shimomura. The DVD was released in September 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/453847/takedown/|title=Takedown|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=July 20, 2023|archive-date=March 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307100508/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/453847/takedown/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Mitnick also appeared in [[Werner Herzog]]'s documentary ''[[Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World]]'' (2016).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/in-the-news/lo-and-behold|title=Lo and Behold|first=Mitnick|last=Security|website=mitnicksecurity.com|access-date=July 20, 2023|archive-date=July 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720184803/https://www.mitnicksecurity.com/in-the-news/lo-and-behold|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Books==
===Written by Mitnick===
Mitnick is the co-author, with William L. Simon and Robert Vamosi, of four books, three on [[computer security]] and an autobiography:
* (2002) ''[[The Art of Deception]]: Controlling the Human Element of Security''<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Mitnick | first1 = Kevin | first2 = William L. | last2 = Simon | title = The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security | publisher = Wiley Books | date = October 2003 | url = http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-076454280X.html | isbn = 978-0-7645-4280-0 | access-date = January 14, 2009 | archive-date = April 25, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110425155520/http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-076454280X.html | url-status = live}}</ref>
* (2005) ''[[The Art of Intrusion]]: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers''<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Mitnick | first1 = Kevin | first2 = William L. | last2 = Simon | title = The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers | publisher = Wiley Books | date = December 27, 2005 | url = http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0764569597.html | isbn = 978-0-7645-6959-3 | access-date = January 14, 2009 | archive-date = May 14, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110514113820/http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0764569597.html | url-status = live}}</ref>
* (2011) ''Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker''<ref name="ghostinwiresmya00mitn_0">{{cite book | last1 = Mitnick | first1 = Kevin | first2 = William L. | last2 = Simon | title = Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker | url = https://archive.org/details/ghostinwiresmya00mitn_0 | publisher = Little, Brown and Company | year = 2011 | isbn = 978-0-316-03770-9 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all | access-date = August 27, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111104215522/http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780316037709.htm | archive-date = November 4, 2011}}</ref>
* (2017) ''The Art of Invisibility''<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Mitnick | first1 = Kevin | first2 = Robert | last2 = Vamosi | title = The Art of Invisibility | publisher = Little, Brown and Company | date = February 2017 | url = https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/kevin-mitnick/the-art-of-invisibility/9780316380492/ | isbn = 978-0-3163-8049-2 | access-date = July 2, 2019 | archive-date = July 2, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190702032805/https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/kevin-mitnick/the-art-of-invisibility/9780316380492/ | url-status = live}}</ref>

===Authorized by Mitnick===
*(1996) ''The Fugitive Game: Online with Kevin Mitnick'', [[Jonathan Littman]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/06/the-greed-report-these-white-collar-manhunts-will-make-your-head-spin.html|title=Greed Report: These White-Collar Manhunts Will Make Your Head Spin|first=Scott|last=Cohn|date=July 26, 2016|website=CNBC|access-date=July 20, 2023|archive-date=February 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224204925/https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/06/the-greed-report-these-white-collar-manhunts-will-make-your-head-spin.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{annotated link|Kevin Poulsen}}
* [[List of cybercriminals]]
* [[My kung fu is stronger than yours#Zeke Shif]] – a hack by Mitnick
* {{annotated link|The Secret History of Hacking}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
===Movies and TV Series===
*{{IMDb title|0309614| Freedom Downtime}}
*{{IMDb title|11847918| The Inside Man}} (cameo as himself)

===Books===
<!--Sorted by date of publication-->
{{Refbegin}}
*Kevin Mitnick with Robert Vamosi, ''The Art of Invisibility'', 2017, Hardback {{ISBN|978-0-316-38049-2}}
*Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon, ''Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker'', 2011, Hardback {{ISBN|978-0-316-03770-9}}
*Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon, ''[[The Art of Intrusion]]: The Real Stories Behind The Exploits Of Hackers, Intruders, And Deceivers'', 2005, Hardback {{ISBN|0-471-78266-1}}
*Kevin Mitnick, ''[[The Art of Deception]]: Controlling the Human Element of Security'', 2002, Paperback {{ISBN|0-471-23712-4}}
*[[Jeff Goodell]], ''The Cyberthief and the Samurai: The True Story of Kevin Mitnick-And the Man Who Hunted Him Down'', 1996, {{ISBN|978-0-440-22205-7}}
*[[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]], ''CYBERPUNK – Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier'', 1995, {{ISBN|1-872180-94-9}}
{{refend}}

===Articles===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite news
 |url          = https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4689551/kevin-mitnick.pdf
 |last         = Littman
 |first        = Jonathan
 |title        = The Invisible Digital Man
 |work         = Playboy
 |date         = June 2007
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023104/https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4689551/kevin-mitnick.pdf
 |archive-date = March 4, 2016
|df           = mdy-all
}}
* {{cite news
|title=Movie About Notorious Hacker Inspires a Tangle of Suits and Subplots
|last=Fost
|first=Dan
|date=May 4, 2000
|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/05/04/BU71498.DTL
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
|access-date=April 24, 2007
|archive-date=May 25, 2011
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525043206/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2000%2F05%2F04%2FBU71498.DTL
|url-status=live
}}
* {{cite news
|title=From Being Hunted By The FBI To Working Alongside Them- Kevin Mitnick
|first=Khin
|last=Darell
|url=https://blog.appknox.com/from-being-hunted-by-the-fbi-to-working-alongside-them-kevin-mitnick/
|work=Appknox
|access-date=May 27, 2016
|archive-date=August 5, 2016
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805004757/https://blog.appknox.com/from-being-hunted-by-the-fbi-to-working-alongside-them-kevin-mitnick/
|url-status=live
}}
* {{cite news
|title=Renowned security expert Kevin Mitnick can steal your identity in 3 minutes
|first=Thomas
|last=Ehrlich
|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ehrlichfu/2014/08/15/renowned-security-expert-kevin-mitnick-can-steal-your-identity-in-3-minutes/
|work=Forbes
|access-date=July 17, 2015
|archive-date=July 22, 2015
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722064416/http://www.forbes.com/sites/ehrlichfu/2014/08/15/renowned-security-expert-kevin-mitnick-can-steal-your-identity-in-3-minutes/
|url-status=live
}}
* {{cite news
|title=Why Kevin Mitnick, the World's Most Notorious Hacker, Is Still Breaking Into Computers
|first=Arik
|last=Hesseldahl
|url=https://www.vox.com/2015/3/26/11560712/why-kevin-mitnick-the-worlds-most-notorious-hacker-is-still-breaking
|date=March 26, 2015
|work=Vox.com
|access-date=March 3, 2025
|archive-date=July 22, 2015
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722064416/http://www.forbes.com/sites/ehrlichfu/2014/08/15/renowned-security-expert-kevin-mitnick-can-steal-your-identity-in-3-minutes/
|url-status=live
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Kevin Mitnick}}
* {{Official website}} 
* {{Triangulation|21}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Hacking in the 1990s}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitnick, Kevin}}
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