Jul 20, 2023 12:35:00

[Old News] Kevin Mitnick, a 'legendary hacker' who was feared that he could 'shoot a nuclear missile with a whistle' while escaping the pursuit of the FBI, died

Kevin Mitnick, who is world-famous for

cracking while escaping searches by the FBI and police in the 1990s and becoming a white hacker in cooperation with the FBI after being arrested, on July 16, 2023. Died at the age of 59.

Kevin Mitnick Obituary - Las Vegas, NV
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668

Kevin Mitnick - Once the world's most wanted hacker, now he's getting paid to hack companies legally | Black Hat Ethical Hacking | Black Hat Ethical Hacking
https://www.blackhatethicalhacking.com/articles/hacking-stories/kevin-mitnick-once-the-worlds-most-wanted-hacker-now-hes-getting-paid-to-hack-companies-legally/

Mitnick was born on August 6, 1963 in San Fernando Valley, California, USA. Mr. Mitnick, who had a strong repulsion and wanted to attract attention from his surroundings, learned various pranks and tricks from an early age, and learned phone analysis, social engineering , and hacking techniques using computers. Mr. Mitnick made unauthorized access to the computer network for the first time when he was 16 years old, and invaded the system used for OS development by Digital Equipment Corporation, a major computer company, via a telephone line and used the software under development. Copied. Mr. Mitnick was prosecuted for this hacking for the first time in his life, and in 1988 he was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of probation.

However, at the time when this probation period is about to end, Mr. Mitnick will hack into Pacific Bell (now AT & T). Since then, Mr. Mitnick has been on the run for about two and a half years as the FBI's most wanted criminal.

Mr. Mitnick said that he was illegally accessing many computer networks while fleeing. He used mobile phones to hide his whereabouts, stealing and copying software from various companies, and tampering with computer networks to steal and read emails.

But in 1995, Mitnick was arrested in his North Carolina apartment. At the time of his arrest, Mitnick said he had more than 100 mobile phone numbers and multiple forged IDs. Mr. Mitnick pleaded guilty to several crimes in the plea bargain, but was sentenced to 5 years and 8 months in prison for committing a crime during probation. Mr. Mitnick's criminal trial was the first time a new law to deal with computer crime was applied, so it is said that it attracted a great deal of attention from all over the world and greatly encouraged awareness of Internet security.

At the trial, the prosecution told the judge, 'Mr. Mitnick was also able to access the North American Aerospace Defense Command 's network by telephone and whistle to communicate with the modem to order the launch of nuclear missiles.' It seems that he claimed. Also, the hacker community at the time launched the 'FREE KEVIN' movement and appealed for the release of Mr. Mitnick. During the trial, Yahoo! 's top page has been tampered with, and a threatening message saying 'If you do not release Mr. Mitnick, you will spread a computer virus' has also occurred.

Mr. Mitnick, who was released on parole in January 2000, was highly evaluated for his skill as a hacker, cooperated with the FBI as a security expert, and started activities as a white hacker. Beginning his career as a security consultant, Mitnick became co-founder and chief hacking officer of KnowBe4, a security consulting firm, in 2011.

by Campus Party México

However, since 2021 Mr. Mitnick has been fighting pancreatic cancer. His wife, Kimberly, was just expecting their first child with Mitnick. Mr. Mitnick was happy that the birth of his child ``started a new chapter of life'', but after fighting the disease for more than 14 months, he died on July 16, 2023.

A funeral director, Dignity Memorial, said of Mitnick's death, ``He still had a lot to live for. We know there will never be another like him. , we miss Mr. Mitnick, we hear his voice in our hearts, and we look forward to seeing him again.May Mr. Mitnick greet us, or play pranks on us. Or maybe he invites us to share a special meal and conversation.Imagine that, it's heaven.We are all deeply grateful to have spent time with this truly great man. I will,” he commented.