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Portrait of Kevin Mitnick

Kevin Mitnick

(1963–2023) Computer Security Consultant United States

142 quotes in 978 categories

Kevin Mitnick warns that even big companies get hacked, so he stresses backups and reporting attacks. He describes how his early fascination with phone systems led him to hack for security insight, and how he now helps firms understand their vulnerabilities. He also notes that many organizations think they are safe, but a single worm can cause disaster.

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Kevin Mitnick was a computer security consultant from the United States, best known for The Art of Deception.

Quick Facts About Kevin Mitnick

Born: August 6, 1963
Died: July 16, 2023
Nationality: United States
Profession: Computer Security Consultant
Notable works: The Art of Deception
Known for: The Art of Deception, The Art of Intrusion, Certified Social Engineering Prevention Specialist, Freedom Downtime, Ghost in the Wires

About Kevin Mitnick

He was arrested in 1995 for computer and communications‑related crimes, and spent five years in prison after being convicted of fraud and illegally intercepting communications. His case sparked controversy and extensive media coverage. After his release, he founded Mitnick Security Consulting and worked with other computer security businesses.

Quotes by Kevin Mitnick

At the end of the day, my goal was to be the best hacker.

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The Internet is like the phone. To be without it is ridiculous.

Internet

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The human. Now you know all about your target

Goals

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I happen to be notorious. That, I have no control over.

Control

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Social engineers veil themselves in a cloak of believability.

Believability

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You can't go to Windows Update and get a patch for stupidity.

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To some people I'll always be the bad guy.

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For the average home-user, anti-virus software is a must.

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Hacking is exploiting security controls either in a technical, physical or a human-based element.

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Garbage can provide important details for hackers: names, telephone numbers, a company's internal jargon.

Company

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Back up everything! You are not invulnerable. Catastrophic data loss can happen to you - one worm or Trojan is all it…

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Back in my day, I would probe by hand. Now you can get commercial software that does the job for you.

Probe

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Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.

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I was fascinated with the phone system and how it worked; I became a hacker to get better control over the phone…

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I keep my stuff updated all the time. Being in the security industry, I keep up to date with securities.

Being

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A log-in simulator is a program to trick some unknowing user into providing their user name and password.

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My hacking was all about becoming the best at circumventing security. So when I was a fugitive, I worked systems administrator jobs…

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Being on the run wasn't fun, but it was something I had to do. I was actually working in legitimate jobs. I…

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If hackers, if anyone committing a criminal act, wants to reduce their risk, they obviously don't involve anybody else. The greater the…

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If you go to a coffee shop or at the airport, and you're using open wireless, I would use a VPN service…

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Businesses should absolutely set aside funding in their budgets for security consultants. Unless there is an expert on staff, and there usually…

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I'm not a fugitive anymore. Never will be in the future. After spending five years in jail, you learn your lesson. I…

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If I needed to know about a security exploit, I preferred to get the information by accessing the companies' security teams' files,…

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Social engineering is using deception, manipulation and influence to convince a human who has access to a computer system to do something,…

Access

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What happens with smaller businesses is that they give in to the misconception that their site is secure because the system administrator…

Administrator

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Social engineering is using manipulation, influence and deception to get a person, a trusted insider within an organization, to comply with a…

Action

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It's kind of interesting, because hacking is a skill that could be used for criminal purposes or legitimate purposes, and so even…

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I think a cyber-terrorism attack is overblown, though the threat exists. I think al Qaeda and other groups are more interested in…

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For the average home-user, anti-virus software is a must. A personal firewall such as Zone Alarm and running a program like HFNetcheck,…

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I started with CB radio, ham radio, and eventually went into computers. And I was just fascinated with it. And back then,…

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A company can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on firewalls, intrusion detection systems and encryption and other security technologies, but if…

Business

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Think about it: if you were running a multi-million dollar company, and your database of customer information was stolen, would you want…

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There is no patch for stupidity.

Inspirational

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I was hooked in before hacking was even illegal.

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I wasn't a hacker for the money, and it wasn't to cause damage.

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Some people think technology has the answers.

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I have done a lot to rehabilitate my reputation.

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I saw myself as an electronic joy rider.

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As a young boy, I was taught in high school that hacking was cool.

Hacking

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Usually companies hire me, and they know full well who I am, and that's one of the reasons they want to hire…

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Kevin Mitnick by topic

Cybersecurity (58) Hacker (56) Security (26) People (25) Hacking (22) Computer (20) Computers (19) Programming (16) Hackers (15) Company (15) Business (14) Access (12)