The cyber-expert - who was on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted List’, and spent five years in jail for computer and wire fraud after a two-year manhunt- passed away on Sunday (16.07.23) after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
An obituary about the reformed hacker read: "Kevin was an original; much of his life reads like a fiction story.
"He grew up brilliant and restless in the San Fernando Valley in California, an only child with a penchant for mischief, a defiant attitude toward authority, and a love for magic."
Kevin grew to prominence after he managed to get into government websites and other business networks, such as Pacific Bell, to thieve data and credit card information in the 90s.
He was eventually arrested in 1995 after stealing credit card numbers and data files in their thousands and making his way into cell networks, government and university networks.
In his 2011 book ‘Ghost in the Wires’, Kevin wrote: "Anyone who loves to play chess knows that it's enough to defeat your opponent. You don't have to loot his kingdom or seize his assets to make it worthwhile.”
After his time in prison, he transformed into a “white hat” hacker via his company Mitnick Security Consulting and offered his services to Fortune 500 companies and governments on cybersecurity.
KnowBE4, a company he partly owned, said upon his death: "Kevin will always remain 'the world's most famous hacker' and was renowned for his intelligence, humour and extraordinary skill with technology, surpassed only by his talent as the original 'social engineer.”
An obituary about the reformed hacker read: "Kevin was an original; much of his life reads like a fiction story.
"He grew up brilliant and restless in the San Fernando Valley in California, an only child with a penchant for mischief, a defiant attitude toward authority, and a love for magic."
Kevin grew to prominence after he managed to get into government websites and other business networks, such as Pacific Bell, to thieve data and credit card information in the 90s.
He was eventually arrested in 1995 after stealing credit card numbers and data files in their thousands and making his way into cell networks, government and university networks.
In his 2011 book ‘Ghost in the Wires’, Kevin wrote: "Anyone who loves to play chess knows that it's enough to defeat your opponent. You don't have to loot his kingdom or seize his assets to make it worthwhile.”
After his time in prison, he transformed into a “white hat” hacker via his company Mitnick Security Consulting and offered his services to Fortune 500 companies and governments on cybersecurity.
KnowBE4, a company he partly owned, said upon his death: "Kevin will always remain 'the world's most famous hacker' and was renowned for his intelligence, humour and extraordinary skill with technology, surpassed only by his talent as the original 'social engineer.”
