Kevin Mitnick

World’s most famous hacker.

Bestselling Author.

Kevin Mitnick speaker, keynote, hacker

Once one of the FBI's Most Wanted for hacking into 40 major corporations just for the challenge, Kevin Mitnick is now recognized as the world’s most famous hacker and a trusted security consultant to global governments, agencies, organizations and Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Toshiba, Microsoft, Humana and MasterCard.

English
Futurist and Technology · Innovation and Creativity

With more than fifteen years of experience in exploring computer security, Kevin Mitnick is a largely self-taught expert in exposing the vulnerabilities of complex operating systems and telecommunications devices.

His hobby as an adolescent consisted of studying methods, tactics, and strategies used to circumvent computer security, and to learn more about how computer systems and telecommunication systems work.

In building this body of knowledge, Kevin Mitnick gained unauthorized access to computer systems at some of the largest corporations on the planet and penetrated some of the most resilient computer systems ever developed. He has used both technical and non-technical means to obtain the source code to various operating systems and telecommunications devices to study their vulnerabilities and their inner workings.

As the world’s most famous (former) hacker, Kevin Mitnick has been the subject of countless news and magazine articles published throughout the world. He has made guest appearances on numerous television and radio programs, offering expert commentary on issues related to information security.

In addition to appearing on local network news programs, he has made appearances on 60 Minutes, The Learning Channel, Tech TV’s Screen Savers, Court TV, Good Morning America, CNN’s Burden of Proof, Street Sweep,Talkback Live, National Public Radio, and as a guest star on ABC’s spy drama “Alias”.

Kevin Mitnick has served as a keynote speaker at numerous industry events, hosted a weekly talk radio show on KFI AM 640 in Los Angeles, testified before the United States Senate, written for Harvard Business Review and spoken for Harvard Law School.

His first best-selling book, The Art of Deception, was published in October 2002 by Wiley and Sons Publishers. Kevin Mitnick’s second title, The Art of Intrusion, was released in February 2005.

Kevin Mitnick’s books include Art of Intrusion: The Real Story Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders and Deceivers and Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security, which are mandatory readings for security professionals. His autobiography, Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker, a New York Times best seller, is now available in fifteen languages.

Conferences

HOW HACKERS ATTACK AND HOW TO FIGHT BACK: With Live Hacking Demonstrations of the Current Threats to You and Your Organization.

People are the weakest link. They can be manipulated or influenced into unknowingly helping hackers break into their organization’s computers. You’ll learn how easily you can be an unsuspecting victim who can be manipulated into handing over the keys the kingdom, if you haven’t done so already. In this engaging and demonstration-rich experience, Kevin Mitnick illustrates how a hacker’s thought process works and how they ply their tradecraft. You just might realize that you—like almost everyone else on the planet—have a misplaced reliance on security technology, which has now become ineffective against a motivated hacker using a technique called "social engineering."

Kevin is uniquely qualified to take you inside the mind of a hacker, as it takes one to know one. He was once the FBI’s Most Wanted, although he never stole for profit or damaged systems. He is the most elusive computer break-in artist in history because he hacked into the NSA and more than 40 major corporations just for the fun and adventure. Kevin is `now a trusted security consultant to Fortune 500 companies and governments worldwide, and he leads the world’s top security penetration testing team and they maintains a 100 percent successful track record of being able to penetrate the security of any system they are paid to hack into using a combination of technical exploits and social engineering.

GHOST IN THE WIRES: Go on the Run with the Most Wanted Hacker in the World.

Treat yourself to an unforgettable experience. Come on the run and escape with Kevin as he takes you on this hilarious and mind-boggling adventure based upon his New York Times bestselling autobiography, Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker.

Kevin is a master storyteller who puts you right in the action of this sophisticated cat-and-mouse game that led authorities through false identities, jumping from city to city, plenty of close shaves, and ultimately, a bizarre showdown with the feds. He was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. Although he never stole for financial gain or damaged systems, he did hack into the NSA and more than 40 major corporations just for the fun and adventure. He spent years skipping through cyberspace, and no matter how fast the authorities were, Kevin was faster, using technology not only to evade but also to spy on and track his pursuers. His story--packed with hysterical pranks and fear-driven hysteria--actually started a movement and changed how companies secure their information". Would you like to see a real ghost?

Wireless Insecurity.

The Man Behind the Myth.

Books

Ghost in the wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker

Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world's biggest companies--and however fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. He spent years skipping through cyberspace, always three steps ahead and labeled unstoppable. But for Kevin, hacking wasn't just about technological feats-it was an old fashioned confidence game that required guile and deception to trick the unwitting out of valuable information.

Driven by a powerful urge to accomplish the impossible, Mitnick bypassed security systems and blazed into major organizations including Motorola, Sun Microsystems, and Pacific Bell. But as the FBI's net began to tighten, Kevin went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated cat and mouse game that led through false identities, a host of cities, plenty of close shaves, and an ultimate showdown with the Feds, who would stop at nothing to bring him down.

Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escape, and a portrait of a visionary whose creativity, skills, and persistence forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, inspiring ripples that brought permanent changes in the way people and companies protect their most sensitive information.

Ghost in the wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker

The art of the intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders and Deceivers

Hacker extraordinaire Kevin Mitnick delivers the explosive encore to his bestselling The Art of Deception Kevin Mitnick, the world's most celebrated hacker, now devotes his life to helping businesses and governments combat data thieves, cybervandals, and other malicious computer intruders. In his bestselling The Art of Deception, Mitnick presented fictionalized case studies that illustrated how savvy computer crackers use "social engineering" to compromise even the most technically secure computer systems. Now, in his new book, Mitnick goes one step further, offering hair-raising stories of real-life computer break-ins-and showing how the victims could have prevented them. Mitnick's reputation within the hacker community gave him unique credibility with the perpetrators of these crimes, who freely shared their stories with him-and whose exploits Mitnick now reveals in detail for the first time, including:

A group of friends who won nearly a million dollars in Las Vegas by reverse-engineering slot machines
Two teenagers who were persuaded by terrorists to hack into the Lockheed Martin computer systems
Two convicts who joined forces to become hackers inside a Texas prison

The art of the intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders and Deceivers

The art of deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security

Kevin Mitnick's exploits as a cyber-desperado and fugitive form one of the most exhaustive FBI manhunts in history and have spawned dozens of articles, books, films, and documentaries. Since his release from federal prison, in 1998, Mitnick has turned his life around and established himself as one of the most sought-after computer security experts worldwide. Now, in The Art of Deception, the world's most notorious hacker gives new meaning to the old adage, "It takes a thief to catch a thief."

Focusing on the human factors involved with information security, Mitnick explains why all the firewalls and encryption protocols in the world will never be enough to stop a savvy grifter intent on rifling a corporate database or an irate employee determined to crash a system. With the help of many fascinating true stories of successful attacks on business and government, he illustrates just how susceptible even the most locked-down information systems are to a slick con artist impersonating an IRS agent.

Narrating from the points of view of both the attacker and the victims, he explains why each attack was so successful and how it could have been prevented in an engaging and highly readable style reminiscent of a true-crime novel. And, perhaps most importantly, Mitnick offers advice for preventing these types of social engineering hacks through security protocols, training programs, and manuals that address the human element of securit -

The art of deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security

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