Famed Hacker Kevin Mitnick Dead at 59
www.securityweek.com
Famed hacker Kevin Mitnick has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  At the time of his death, he was Chief Hacking Officer at security awareness training firm KnowBe4.

Kevin Mitnick - the world’s first famous “hacker” - has died at age 59 after succumbing to pancreatic cancer.

Mitnick gained fame for his hacking skills and eventual arrest on hacking and wire fraud charges. After his release from prison, he went on to release various books and speak at conferences on the topic of cyber security/hacking. He is the founder of “Mitnick Security Consulting” which provides cyber consulting and penetration testing services.

Kevin’s influence on the world of cyber security is undeniable, as is his almost legendary reputation in the field.

  • surfrock66@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    This legendary excerpt from his Wikipedia:

    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”, implying that law enforcement told the judge that he could somehow dial into the NORAD modem via a payphone from prison and communicate with the modem by whistling to launch nuclear missiles.