Kevin Mitnick, Hacker Who Once Eluded Authorities, Is Dead at 59
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/20/technology/kevin-mitnick-dead-hacker.html
@fchaverri I wrote him an epitaph to do one thing that forty years worth of law enforcement and media hype never seemed to do: Look at Kevin Mitnick as a person.
Interesting perspective. It seems popular now for people to dismiss him as someone got more attention than they deserve. Which may be true, but like you mentioned that has more to do with the media and law enforcement not knowing what to do with him.
There is no doubt that the attention he received helped his later career. But it’s not like he just rode those coat tails. His books were informative and entertaining. Not something many can pull off. And while Know2Be is boring ass cyber training, I’ve seen much worse products on the market.
Your article makes me wonder if he has the resources and support of a Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, would things have been much different for him.
Also, FYI, the URL link in your comment didn’t work for me. I had to copy the link and extract the URL from it. I’m using the Connect app on Android.
Check out his tell-all “Ghost in the Wires”. Definitely an interesting read, and a great lens into cyber security in the 80s and 90s.
Weirdly, John Markoff didn’t write this article. I’d have thought he’d have jumped at the opportunity.
RIP, OG