Cyber security industry bids adieu to veteran hacker Kevin Mitnick

Famous hacker and social engineer Kevin Mitnick, who spent years in prison for being one of the most wanted cyber criminals before becoming a leading cyber security advocate, has died after fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer for months.

The news of his demise was announced by his family and senior members at KnowBe4, a renowned security awareness and training company that he partially owned and where held the position of chief hacking officer.

Born on the 6th of August, 1963, in Van Nuys, California, Mitnick was raised in Los Angeles. At the early age of 12, Mitnick made his first move in the world of hacking when he convinced a bus driver to tell him where he could buy his own ticket punch for “a school project”, and was then able to ride any bus in the greater LA area using unused transfer slips he found in a dumpster next to the bus company garage.

In 1979, at the age of 16, Mitnick first gained unauthorised access to a computer network. He later infiltrated the internal systems of several organisations and was branded as one of the most wanted cyber criminals of that time.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mitnick gained unauthorised access to dozens of computer networks while he was a fugitive. He used cloned cellular phones, among other things, to hide his location and copied several valuable proprietary software from some of the country’s largest cellular telephone and computer companies.

In 1995, he was arrested by the FBI from his home in Raleigh, North Carolina, on federal charges related to a two-and-a-half-year period of computer hacking which included computer and wire fraud. At the time of arrest, Mitnick was in possession of many clones phones, more than 100 cloned cellular phone codes, and false identity documents.

Mitnick was charged with multiple counts of both wire fraud and possession of unauthorised access devices and pleaded guilty to most of the charges. He, however, always disputed the fact that he was branded a malicious cyber criminal and said that he was a victim of incorrect reporting by the media.

Mitnick ultimately entered into a plea bargain with law enforcement and pleaded guilty to most of the charges brought against him. He was sentenced to prison for 46 months and an additional 22 months for violating his earlier supervised release arrangement.

After his release, Mitnick founded his own security consultancy and became a prominent cyber security consultant, public speaker, and author. In 2013, he joined KnowBe4, started the Kevin Mitnick Security Awareness Training (KMSAT) security education package, and held the position of chief hacking officer.

Mitnick is survived by his wife, Kimberley, who is expecting their first child later this year. The family has scheduled a memorial for him in Las Vegas on August 1, where he will be buried near his mother and grandmother in a local Jewish cemetery per his wishes.

Stu Sjouwerman, a close friend and business partner at KnowBe4, said, “Kevin was a dear friend to me and many of us here at KnowBe4. He is truly a luminary in the development of the cybersecurity industry, but mostly, Kevin was just a wonderful human being and he will be dearly missed.”