Talk:Kevin Mitnick/Archive 1

Contribution credits and vanities

I put this in here, for the record, in case this article gets longer. Most Mitnick stories, including his own, tell of the penetration by Mitnick and his friends of what is called, reverentially, "The Ark" at Digital Equipment Corporation. Although rare at that time outside of DEC, inside there was a whole network of computers with addresses using up to six RAD-50 characters. ARK:: was the address of the RSTS development system. It was nothing special, just another PDP-11/70, and certainly not the sanctum sanctorum of Digital software that he makes it sound. Most operating system people in DEC at the time thought downloading old RSTS sources was a hilarious waste of time. I worked on a better OS on KERMIT:: and ALIEN::, that RSX guy, Ortolan88 05:37 Jan 28, 2003 (UTC)

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Removed:

"Today, Kevin Mitnick is widely regarded as a pioneering cracker whose prosecution by the government was overblown to the point of injustice."

See Wikipedia:Avoid weasel terms.

-- Cyan 09:39, 19 Sep 2003 (UTC)

2600 documentary

I added information about the 2600 documentary, freedom downtime, links to freekevin.com, freedomdowntime.com, and an image from his company website to the right of the page. --drago9034 12:30, Nov 9, 2003

In view of the quality of later edits, and the rather strange allegations made by 219.39.... I suggest removing all his edits, unless he/she comes up with some sources to confirm what he writes. Was it possible that the revert before mine was intended to revert all the anon edits but failed because of the change of IP address? DJ Clayworth 18:48, 21 May 2004 (UTC)

"Hacker" n "Cracker"

The first sentence calls him a "hacker", even though he fits the definition of "cracker" (including the definition given by Wikipedia). He doesn't fit the primary definition of "hacker", as given by the Wikipedia or that most any hacker would use.

I don't see how "cracker" is a "weasel term". Wikipedia defines cracking as "the act of compromising the security of a system without permission from an authorized party" -- which is precisely what Mitnick did. That doesn't seem any more weasely than, say, calling Al Capone a "gangster". It's what he did.

It's also confusing: it seems to imply that hacking is a criminal activity, yet the (primary) definition of "hacker" doesn't mention criminal activity.

The "hacker" article lists him as a "notable hacker[] who ran afoul of a government", which is exceedingly generous. At the very least, I think we should add an adjective here to distinguish what he did from what most hackers do -- "security hacker", for example, though that still feels too generous. Why can't we just call him a "security cracker", like he is?

Perhapse I'm wrong, but I don't think the "weasel term" comment refered to the term "cracker" so much as the context of the term, i.e. "is widely regarded as"

They are both inappropriate and should be avoided. Cracker and Phreak are both jargon. Very few people know what the term means, everyone knows the term hacker in the sense used here. It is what the little runt called himself. Mitnick and his like have unfortunately captured this word now. The term hacker means computer criminal in the popular mind. The OED (2nd ed) contains both definitions, it does not contain cracker defined in this way and is pretty unlikely to. --Gorgonzilla 01:26, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

"Hacker" should be removed from the opening description, as the original poster noted, it incorrectly implies that "hacking" is a crime. He should be described as having illegally accessed corporate computer equipment, or some similarly descriptive phrase. I suppose Gorgonzilla is correct that "cracker" is too jargony. -Pete 04:17, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Cracker is both the correct term and a commonly used term for describing this type of activity. It has been used in news reports and articles intended for the general public. Using the term hacker is incorrect. Wikipedia should probably try to avoid being incorrect. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.61.185.203 (talk) 15:05, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

Kevin was a Malicious Hacker =

The term hacker is ther term adopted by the media in general and by the hackers themselves. I am entirely familliar with the MIT use of the term, I worked at MIT. It is unfortunate that the crackers have appropriated this term but they have been successful in doing so. Attempting to redefine the term at this stage is futile.

If you want to refine the term, point out that Kevin was frequently vindictive and malicious. He is also pretty unrepentant, he still whines about the length of the prison term he got, I don't think it was enough. Kevin is still a hussler, its just that his latest scam, security consulting is at least legal even if it is difficult to see how any client could trust him.

HallamBaker

Oh dear. You have no idea how he could make money because, and I quote, "it is difficult to see how any client could trust him". Well, its always good to know that even people who can go to MIT will still be too stupid to do anything good with their life. Especially if such a simple thing escapes them. 58.170.161.3 (talk) 16:57, 8 March 2009 (UTC) Harlequin

Mitnick nukes the world

"while also held in solitary confinement for eight months "in order to prevent a massive nuclear strike from being initiated by me via a prison payphone." The nuclear strike would hit New York city and surrounding areas and also hit the outskirts of South Korea by whistling the secret passcode in to the receiver"

What the hell? Is this Dr. Strangelove crap real? Gamaliel 02:43, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I found reference to Mitnick's assertion that there were unreasonable fears that he could whistle into a phone and start a nuclear war, but I could find no reference to the NYC and South Korea bits, so I removed them. If someone wishes to reinstate them, proper attribution of who said or asserted it should be included. AdmN 18:56, 29 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Copyright vio

sorry to rain on the parade, but the following section section appears to be taken from here: http://www.takedown.com/bio/mitnick.html

"It was the fifth time that Mitnick had been apprehended for a computer crime, and the case attracted nationwide attention because, in an unusual plea bargain, he agreed to one year in prison and six months in a counseling program for his computer "addiction." It was a strange defense tactic, but a federal judge, after initially balking, bought the idea that there was some sort of psychological parallel between the obsession Mitnick had for breaking in to computer systems and an addict's craving for drugs"

This is interesting.

Isn't it ? :)

I once read something that suggested that some people who break into secure/forbidden things (like a network) enjoy it the same way some guys enjoy penetrating a virgin. Armedblowfish 22:52, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

3 years

From what I know, he was actually not allowed to use a computer up until 2004. He was supposed to be banned from using any computer or cellular phone for 3 years after his latest release from Jail, in 2001.

also, in my opinion, the physical isolation from any type of computer, phone, etc. was seen as failure on the part of the authorities, who failed to catch Mitnick for so many years. aside form that, even though I don't suggest that anybody take up a career in hacking or cracking, i must say the man was a genius. --Zeerus 01:27, Apr 13, 2005 (UTC)

I could be wrong, since my knowledge of such terms is limited, but isn't what Mitnick did normally known as "phreaking?" And if so, shouldn't the article refer to him as a "phreaker" rather than "cracker" or "hacker?"

He was both, but the majority of his illegal activity centered around breaking into computer equipment rather than manipulating telephones, so "phreaker" would be a secondary label. Gary D Robson 22:17, 29 November 2005 (UTC)

In one of the books about him (don't remember which one), it detailed how he was able to provision himself telephone features such as Caller ID through both social engineering and accessing the switches, before those features were available to the public; accessing the switches would certainly fall into phreaking. And he and one of his buddies would reprogram the switches in order to win dial-in radio contests. MeekMark 02:51, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

I placed the article in Category:2600: The Hacker Quarterly since Mitnick spoke at HOPE, writes articles, etc... Paul 07:11, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

The supposed bus hack as a kid

Smacks of what I know of Bill Gross personally. And that he was 5 years too late for it ... - Sparky 16:02, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

Kevin Mitnick as a ham radio operator

One thing I wanted to put in the article was that Kevin Mitnick is an amateur radio operator. Where do you think it would fit? Ryan 23:01, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Kevin D. Mitnick, N6NHG. General class amateur radio license. (Information from the FCC Database) --147.126.46.147 01:22, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

That's no Genius!

In rebutle to the above, Mitnick is no genius: Many, many people have the knowledge to do what he did; Mitnick used his knowledge for breaking the law and getting caught and going to jail, instead of doing something constructive and making money. That's no genius, that's one stupid dummy. (Not signed)

Well, he's pulling probably $3-500k a year in speaking fees right now, plus royalties on 2 books - one a best seller. That's a lot better than a senior Unix admin, right? Is there a bit of anger there...perhaps? Wanna tell us about it? 24.126.126.105 06:57, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

Genius as defined by WP is "Great intelligence, who shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative or original work." well the first part is inarguably correct the second part is the dispute, one could easily argue he was neither creative nor original. I think the most correct term would be extraordinarly cunning.Colin 8 20:47, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

No bail hearing

How about the fact that Kevin was kept in jail without a Bail hearing? Not "without bail"- lots of criminals have bail denied, but until Mitnick, every accused person was allowed to have a Bail Hearing.

....from the transcript of the March 30, 1998 hearing:

[Defense counsel making reference to the bail motion while addressing other motions currently pending before the Court.]

Mr. Randolph: Inasmuch as I have filed and I believe the Clerk has set a motion to have bail set on behalf of my client and that is set--

The Court: I am not going to give your client bail.

Mr. Randolph: I think the matter is set for next Monday, your Honor, at 1:30.

The Court: Well, I may take it under submission without oral argument because I am not going to give him bail.

also-

The Bail Reform Act of 1984 ("Act"), mandates that pretrial detention is permissible only where:

"after a hearing pursuant to the provisions of [18 U.S.C. § 3142(f)], the judicial officer finds that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the appearance of the person as required and the safety of any other person and the community." 18 U.S.C. § 3142(e).

In this case, the district court's order was substantively flawed in that it failed to find that no conditions will reasonably assure his appearance or the safety of the community, as required by substantive due process. Furthermore, the district court's order was procedurally flawed in that the court refused to hold a hearing during which evidence relevant to this determination could be presented.

12.110.196.19 03:16, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

What did he do?

I know this might sound like a stupid question, but the article doesn't actually describe what he did, beyond a vague reference to some companies and that he was convicted of wirefraud. Much more space is dedicated to his incarceration than his actual crimes. Seems to me that this is something that needs to be added. I doubt that I am qualified to do so.

Porphyrous 15:59, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Dude, that's right but if you want to know that details READ the damn book ! I just finished it yesterday (Takedown) and it explain all in details. Excellent book written by markoff & shimomura.

Do not read Takedown. It's a fictitious load of bull. You want to know what Mitnick did and how he was persecuted? Find and watch the documentary Freedom Downtime from 2600 films.

Yes, if you are interested in a vitriolic paranoid's opinion, presented as fact. 72.198.221.25 09:15, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Read the book? READ THE BOOK? Are you a complete ***** moron.(profanities aren't necessary)

This is wikipedia. If we get the information, we shall put it in. If it is sourced, we shall establish it. We do NOT leave shit out simply because it would "spoil the ending" of a book. Shit, we dont leave shit out on the pages of books and movies, instead going into spoilerific plot details. Get the .... out. 58.170.161.3 (talk) 16:55, 8 March 2009 (UTC) Harlequin

More content anyone?

I've seen two hour documentaries over this guy. Surely someone can cram more crap in here? It never mentions any of the stuff he did. Not only does it fail to explain why he's infamous (other than he committed wire fraud, and if I did that, I'd probably not be famous, right?), but the seemingly second-most important thing is that a bunch of people deface his website. That should be close to the last thing in the article because it really doesn't say much about him. Unfortunately, we need sources for everything. So someone needs to pick up a book and read it. Seriously, this article is disappointing for what I expected. I expected to learn things I didn't already know. Instead, I'm finding I know things that aren't listed here (though I can't add it because I can't cite "Ziggythehamster's brain").

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Ziggy the Hamster 05:23, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

It seems odd that this article doesn't mention the 1994 Christmas attack against Tsutomu Shimomura. See http://www.totse.com/en/hack/hack_attack/hacker03.html for information concerning that attack. 66.134.227.18 09:33, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

Mitnick in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

He isn't credited in the credits! It musn't be right! Please respond! ProSieben 15:01, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

Just for clarity...

I'm splitting the references to him in popular culture into their own section, leaving "Recent activities" specifically for things that he's done. TankRamp 13:04, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

vandals

some retard actually used the words "haxor" and "pwned" Wikipedia needs a retard pole to keep editors away

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it may also need a giant smacking stick for people who use bad language to complain about bad language.

Edgeways 04:54, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

I must say

This article is remarkably poorly written. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.250.176.23 (talk) 18:10, 21 February 2007 (UTC).

Where did the books go?

Weren't there articles covering John Markoff and Tsutomu Shimomura's Takedown(missing), and Jonathan Littman(missing)'s The Fugitive Game(missing). There are no deletion logs. Weird. I could have sworn... --Lexein 07:01, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Early life - removing anti-Semitic content

"Kevin Mitnick had a Jewish upbringing."

What does this statement mean, beyond simply claiming that he is Jewish? There is no citation, and no further details provided.

Why is this statement relevant here at all? Given the descriptions of unscrupulous conduct in other parts of this article, it appears that the intention is an anti-Semitic insinuation.

So I am removing this comment. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ygale (talk • contribs) 09:57, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

I understand your concern. It wouldn't be the first time antisemitism has been skewed under the guise of something else. However, I am Jewish myself and would be horrified by such a thought. Kevin Mitnick isn't as bad as the press and court portrayed him, and today he uses his talents to help others.

Fact is that wikipedia articles often bring origins and religion in their articles. Kevin Mitnick is Jewish, demanded kosher food in prison and after being released in 1989, a therapist suggested he spend some time at a treatment center for addicts. Thus, Kevin spent several months at Beit T'Shuvah, a treatment center for Jewish ex-cons with addiction problems and no place to go.

So you might leave it out if you want. I think the guy is of a great intelligence and just proves another great Jewish mind.

Wow...just wow. And they say we have enough problems on the Israeli boards with the same type of morons claiming criticism of Israel is "Anti-Semitic". And the racism and ignorance in the latter post makes it even worse.

No, saying that hes Jewish is NOT anti-semitic. I have no idea what backwards, bigoted, ignorant hole you crawled from to reach such a conclusion...but next time, regardless of whether it was true and/or sourced, maybe take a look at the article and take a guess that an editor must have thought he was Jewish because of his last name. 58.170.161.3 (talk) 17:00, 8 March 2009 (UTC) Harlequin

Myths

I am a little confused that "Hacked into Tsutomu Shimomura's home computer" is listed as a myth, when the citation to support this is a link to the site and seems to indicate that Mr Mitnick did in fact break into Mr Shimomura's system. So my question is: is this incorrectly placed as a myth, or is there a different citation to support it being a myth? Jockm (talk) 16:43, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

The link supports the fact that there is such an accusation. There needs to be a link debunking it, though :| Crimson30 (talk) 23:05, 22 June 2008 (UTC)

I am going to remove the whole myths section for now... sources saying that an accusation was made is entirely different from a source to show that it's a myth, and from a glance at the section it looks like many, if not most or all, are not adequately supported. Even someone claiming that they are myths would not be verification that they are myths, because there are people who make disputing claims all the time. It's pushing POV to assume that one side is correct. DreamGuy (talk) 19:19, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Kevin Mitnick myths

• Hacked into NORAD
• "Theft of... at least 20,000 credit card numbers from computer systems around the nation"
• Issued a false press release for Security Pacific Bank causing a $400 million loss in market capitalization
• Changed a judge's TRW credit report
• Turned off the utilities of an FBI agent
• Vandalized many government, corporate and university computer systems
• Hacked into Tsutomu Shimomura's home computer
• Harassed actress Kristy McNichol
• Hacked Microsoft Redmond campus databases

ALIAS?

"Mitnick guest starred in a first season episode of Alias. The casting was an in-joke, since Mitnick played a CIA hacker. Due to the conditions of his parole, however, the computer he used in the scene was a prop."

Does anyone know which episode this was? Sephiroth storm (talk) 16:23, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

REF tags seem screwy

The ref tags on this page seem screwy. They look like they need to be fixed. This is a ping to anyone with experience using the new ref system to fix them. Thanks in advance. — fcsuper ^{(How's That?, That's How!)} _{(Exclusionistic Immediatist )} — 13:44, 1 November 2008 (UTC)

Question about the court hearing of Mitnick video

[1]

Im wondering why at 2:03 the judge doesnt even listen to Mitnick, is this not an unfair trial..? Pickysticks (talk) 13:55, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

Quality of Style?

There is a cleanup tag on this article, what specificly is requested? Sephiroth storm (talk) 05:45, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Who is Suzy Thunder?

How does she relate to Kevin Mitnick again? It says in the article that she was the one who told authorities that Mitnick could cause a nuclear war by whistling into a telephone. I do not think this information is accurate.

Searching Google Video for hacking yields a 50 min video about hacking, and in it Kevin Mitnick himself says that during one of his trials, the prosecutor told the judge that if he [Kevin Mitnick] had access to the payphone inmates used to contact their families, he could start a nuclear war.

At this time this movie can be found at,

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5512733670886412215&q=hacking&hl=en

Susan Thunder was a girl enamored of Kevin in the late eighties. He blew her off and she got pissed and started blabbing. She's now a prostitute in 'Vegas and does pretexting on the side for extra cash.

stories, including his own, tell of the penetration by Mitnick and his friends of what is called, reverentially, "The Ark" at Digital Equipment Corporation. Although rare at that time outside of DEC, inside there was a whole network of computers with addresses using up to six RAD-50 characters. ARK:: was the address of the RSTS development system. It was nothing special, just another PDP-11/70, and certainly not the sanctum sanctorum of Digital software that he makes it sound. Most operating system people in DEC at the time thought downloading old RSTS sources was a hilarious waste of time. I worked on a better OS on KERMIT:: and ALIEN::, that RSX guy, Ortolan88 05:37, 28 January 2003 (UTC)

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Fake IDs?

The article, as it reads right now, makes it sound like Mitnick spent 5 years in jail for having 4 fake IDs. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.105.126.10 (talk) 08:47, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

first sentence

In the first sentence is explained Mitnick was incarcerated for more than four years without trial or a bail hearing. Is this fact more important than his actual conviction? According to the next section there was a trial. --78.34.4.52 (talk) 22:42, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

That was clearly inappropriate. Thanks for removing it. DreamGuy (talk) 15:47, 29 March 2009 (UTC)

Though I agree it should not be the first sentence of this article, there needs to be some non-implied reference made of the extraordinary length of his pre-trial confinement without a bail hearing. It is in all probability likely record-setting, and the most fascinating aspect of the case. ((Anonymous, 14:58:22 3 Sep 2009) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.172.96.17 (talk) 15:04, 3 September 2009 (UTC)

"Free Kevin"

Is it worth mentioning the "Free Kevin" movement and associated banners/stickers/shirts/etc. that were for a period of time nearly ubiquitous in certain circles? Not quite as widespread as, say, "Free Mumia", but it seems like it was a significant aspect of his popular fame (see e.g. this discussion). --Delirium (talk) 23:31, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

Coin-toss as to whether it should be a subhead or a separate article. Definitely worth mentioning.

— Adrian~enwiki (talk) 12:32, 13 May 2009 (UTC)

FYI, I came hoping to read about that whole "Free Kevin" movement and yet I found nothing. I have spent the last two hours crying on the floor curled up in the foetal position because of this. So please add that info. Thanks!--72.1.222.80 (talk) 00:04, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

I'll see what I can do. I do own "Freedom Downtime", and I'll see what else I can find. Sephiroth storm (talk) 11:52, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Cleanup

I think this article needs a complete overhaul and rewrite. Instead of just tearing it apart, I'm going to propose my major changes here for discussion. If no one has any objections, I will go ahead. To start:

• The entire "Skills" section should be removed. It is completely unsourced and unencyclopedic.
• The "Downfall" section should be renamed to "FBI arrest" and reduced to what there are currently sources for.
• The "Controversy" section should be rewritten and unsourced material removed.
• The "Attacks on Mitnick's sites" section should be removed. It is not relevant to a biographical article, and it is poorly sourced.
• The "Recent activities" section should be rewritten as prose, and all unsourced material should be removed.
• Anything that is sourced to http://www.freekevin.com should be removed because that site now appears to be down.
• The "In popular culture" section should be rewritten as prose, and all unsourced material should be removed.

After all of that, I am willing to find neutral, reliable sources and begin rewriting the article. Thoughts? --Mus Musculus (talk) 19:16, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

Removing things cited to web sources which are now down is not standard procedure, afaik. That is the reason we have accessdate fields in the citation templates. In all likelihood the site is still available from the internet archive. Finding extant sources would be ideal, but there isn't, imo, any reason to remove the info.—WAvegetarian (talk) 19:24, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

Good point. So are you more of the opinion that we can leave most information while we seek out sources? One strategy would be to only remove unsourced material that violates WP:BLP. For example, we would not want to state that Mitnick engaged in any illegal activities that we don't immediately have a source for. --Mus Musculus (talk) 19:35, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

This article is terrible, one of the first things it states is that "he is considered a criminal by some, but has also gained many supporters who generally argue he was made a scapegoat and that his punishment was excessive" This is a huge POV, and also weasel words at the same time. First is "he is considered a criminal by some" this is clearly designed to give the impression he isn't really a criminal and that implication is furthured by "but he has also gained many supporters". He is by definition a criminal by having been convicted of crimes, and who are these "many" supporters?, how does the person who edited this know what they generally argue?, where are the citations for this statement? and who do these "many supporters" say he was a scapegoat for?. I am going to change this to "Though Mitnick has been convicted of computer related crimes and possesion of several forged identification documents, his supporters argue his punishment was excessive".

I removed the dead link to http://littlegreenguy.fateback.com/chapter1/Chapter%201%20-%20Banned%20Edition.doc More than that, the domain is an untrusted site according to WOT --InfoGathering (talk) 16:48, 19 August 2009 (UTC)

This article reeks of bias. You would never know that he was arrested 5-6 times for repeated computer crimes based on what is written here. Instead we get the impression that Mitnick is an innocent hero who is wrongly convicted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.16.68.248 (talk) 21:36, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Odd ordering of sections.

I see no good reason for this BLP to not match most of our other BLPs in putting things in a reasonably chronological order, so I am editing that. If there's a good, substantive reason, please explain back here. Otherwise, it almost seems to be pushing emphasis on the arrest and conviction in an undue manner. ThuranX (talk) 05:46, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Feel free. Actually, I should add some more recent information about him, If I can find any. Sephiroth storm (talk) 13:02, 30 August 2009 (UTC)

Additional Info I Researched Years Ago - Please Consider Adding

I did a lot of research for a website I did in the early 2000's about actress Kristy McNichol. I found news clippings I got on eBay about how McNichol was being terrorized in the early 1990's with her phone cut off. This guy Mitnick was responsible for the activity that he went to prison for. This info is overlooked on this page that I believe warrants consideration. If anyone has any cites to use it would be much appreciated. Mitnick referred to this accusation in his book as being bogus, but he was put in jail partly for his crimes against McNichol. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.127.57.44 (talk) 06:26, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Alleged Crimes

I know this wouldn't stand legally, but many of the alleged crimes are described in detail how he did them in "Ghost in the Wires." How should that be modified? Kalak55 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 19:39, 21 October 2011 (UTC).

Sources?

"He was also the former record holder of the fastest computer attack in the world (1988-2008) until succeeded by the Lebanese Hussein el Husseini A.K.A (The Napster) on June 26 2008, Husseini bettered Minitck by almost a full minute on the military firewall belonging to the pentagon he was responsible for what was known to be as the biggest military hack in history."

No sources given. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kurapix (talk • contribs) 23:58, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

.112.98.186|talk]]) 02:02, 11 November 2012 (UTC)

Much additional sourcing, fact and POV checking is required per WP:BLP. Laval (talk) 17:48, 5 September 2013 (UTC)

I agree with the above assessments and have been trying to neutralize some of the content and add some credible sourcing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Boorsours (talk • contribs) 11:53, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

"Social Engineering"

The term social engineering is misused in this article. Asking a bus driver a question and getting a reply is not social engineering, it's asking a question.

If any flimsy pretext existed by which this could even be classed as any form of engineering; social it certainly is not. Social engineering is the attempt to manipulate society, not an individual in a "one off" incident.

The same applies to the other incidents in which phone numbers, passwords etc. were obtained.

The misuse of this term now includes various forms of computer malware, also inappropriately. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.90.2.92 (talk) 06:39, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

That is the correct use of social engineering in this context. Mitnik uses that term in his autobiography to describe what he was doing. To me, it seems that the expression "social engineering" includes asking, lying, and impersonating people/job titles to obtain sensitive information. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.141.202.117 (talk) January 4, 2012

Agree entirely with the above. I have attempted to reconcile the fact that it's typically known as "con artistry" or "confidence trick" by noting "social engineering" in parallel alongside the more common term of "confidence trick". — Preceding unsigned comment added by Boorsours (talk • contribs) 11:55, 16 September 2014 (UTC)

Finding balance, finding sources

Parts of this article read like promotional material for Kevin Mitnick... e.g. the Consulting section, which includes not one WP:RS to support its claims. Similarly, "Kevin at Defcon 2014" needs to reflect the single source that took note of his activity there, http://www.forbes.com/sites/ehrlichfu/2014/08/15/renowned-security-expert-kevin-mitnick-can-steal-your-identity-in-3-minutes/2/ I did try to improve that section already, however. HouseOfChange (talk) 23:29, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

Computer Hacking Section

...a crime he was charged with and convicted of...

The grammatical version would be:

...a crime with which he was charged and of which he was convicted...

I realize that this is a less readable construction approaching Churchill's, "up with which I will not put," so I didn't just edit it in. The editor overseeing this page is welcome to make the decision as to whether or not to change the text. It could also be shortened to:

...a crime of which he was convicted... 

since he was perforce charged with any crime of which he could be convicted. ☺ Dick Kimball (talk) 17:16, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

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The Cuckoo's Egg

Was there ever a connection between Mitnick and The Cuckoo's Egg or am I remembering that incorrectly? Stéphane Charette (talk) 23:38, 19 May 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

• Kevin Mitnick .jpg

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 13:52, 13 August 2020 (UTC)

Kevin David Mitnick — Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.79.185.227 (talk) 20:30, 8 February 2021 (UTC)

SCO?

After reading the article on SCO - Santa Cruz Operation - I came here. And there's no mention of SCO here. Yet, there are 3 refs in section Trapping a hacker about events in 1987. Why the gap? Shenme (talk) 04:45, 5 June 2021 (UTC)

About Hack

Wanna be a Hackathon 2409:4071:D13:BB7D:93E5:1301:5D3C:1369 (talk) 10:20, 21 July 2022 (UTC)

Debate about noting felony convictions in the opening sentence

Hello, requesting guidance for a proposed edit to the Kevin Mitnick page. I noticed that someone mentioned that "Kevin Mitnick is an American convicted felon" normally wouldn't be noted in the first line of the article, UNLESS this is what the subject is known for. The rationale for inclusion came from using the Frank Abagnale article as a model (Abagnale even wrote a promotional blurb for Mitnick's published autobiography), and from the fact that this is indeed what Mitnick is most famous for. See a simple Google image search resulting in his wanted posters, as well as the fact that he promotes his "most wanted" status himself to position himself in his current field. Given this information, would it be inappropriate to make such an edit in the opening line of the article? Input appreciated.

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 20 July 2023

Kevin Mitnick died on July 16 (see his obituary here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/las-vegas-nv/kevin-mitnick-11371668)

The article should be updated to refer to him in the past tense, and should include information about the date and cause of his death. Honksandsirens (talk) 01:25, 20 July 2023 (UTC)

 Already done EggRoll97 ^(talk) 04:00, 20 July 2023 (UTC)