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.
I remember watching Takedown back in high school, though my file was titled Hackers 2: Operation Takedown and that was my introduction to Kevin Mitnick. Saw him a few years later on TechTV, maybe The Screen Savers spoofing CID which led me into learning about Asterisk and IP PBX and FreePBX and other VOIP technologies. I had CID popping up on XBMC running on an OG Xbox back in 2009 before cable companies even had CID showing up on their boxes. It would even pause my media as the call came in or I could set it to DND and it would relay a message to the caller that I would call them back in %time_remaining_in_movie. So Kevin Mitnick inspired me in my younger years to learn about the technology that surround me. I don’t know much about the man, but I know that much, so I have a fond memory. RIP.
i miss techtv every single day. found a trove of old screen savers episodes i put in a youtube playlist that i sometimes watch to scratch the itch. what a magical time to be alive
This is beautiful.
I read tons TXTs in the 90s that sparked an interest in how-things-work and eventually lead to a career in software. People like him really change lives.
May he RIP