413 pages
English language
Published Dec. 4, 2011
Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world's biggest companies -- and however fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. He spent years skipping through cyberspace, always three steps ahead and labeled unstoppable. But for Kevin, hacking wasn't just about technological feats-it was an old fashioned confidence game that required guile and deception to trick the unwitting out of valuable information. Driven by a powerful urge to accomplish the impossible, Mitnick bypassed security systems and blazed into major organizations including Motorola, Sun Microsystems, and Pacific Bell. But as the FBI's net began to tighten, Kevin went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated cat and mouse game that led through false identities, a host of cities, plenty of close shaves, and an ultimate showdown with the Feds, who would …
Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world's biggest companies -- and however fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. He spent years skipping through cyberspace, always three steps ahead and labeled unstoppable. But for Kevin, hacking wasn't just about technological feats-it was an old fashioned confidence game that required guile and deception to trick the unwitting out of valuable information. Driven by a powerful urge to accomplish the impossible, Mitnick bypassed security systems and blazed into major organizations including Motorola, Sun Microsystems, and Pacific Bell. But as the FBI's net began to tighten, Kevin went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated cat and mouse game that led through false identities, a host of cities, plenty of close shaves, and an ultimate showdown with the Feds, who would stop at nothing to bring him down. Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escape, and a portrait of a visionary whose creativity, skills, and persistence forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, inspiring ripples that brought permanent changes in the way people and companies protect their most sensitive information. - Publisher.
Kevin Mitnick is an unreliable narrator and tells a fascinating story. I wish this book were twice as long.
It's an interesting set of memoirs by someone who's closely a narcissist on his days as America's highest-profile hacker...though most of what he does in the book is subvert local phone systems and social-engineer people from spoofed phone numbers. Language advisory, as Mitnick and others have no qualms about dropping F-bombs. Still, the book is paced just right to keep you interested all the way through.
After reading a book I like to compare my impression to the impressions other people have. For "Ghost in the Wires" there are certainly a lot of negative reviews. I was a bit surprised. Although they are not wrong. I personally wouldn't weight the flaws so strongly.
It is true, in my opinion, and throughout the book occurring, that Mitnick is a bit whiny and some what narcissistic. He constantly praises himself for having met this or that girl. Which does absolutely nothing for the plot and is almost every time a one- or two-liner sentence. And oh god, the step master workout routine. A few chapters in he wines about how his wife could leave him. Although he does nothing to change his way of living and keep out of jail and then rattles on about how he feels betrayed. He constantly wines about his poor mom and gram …
After reading a book I like to compare my impression to the impressions other people have. For "Ghost in the Wires" there are certainly a lot of negative reviews. I was a bit surprised. Although they are not wrong. I personally wouldn't weight the flaws so strongly.
It is true, in my opinion, and throughout the book occurring, that Mitnick is a bit whiny and some what narcissistic. He constantly praises himself for having met this or that girl. Which does absolutely nothing for the plot and is almost every time a one- or two-liner sentence. And oh god, the step master workout routine. A few chapters in he wines about how his wife could leave him. Although he does nothing to change his way of living and keep out of jail and then rattles on about how he feels betrayed. He constantly wines about his poor mom and gram having to suffer because of his exploits and their consequences but does again nothing to change himself. Somewhere in the book, I think, he mentions his hacking being pathologic. Maybe that could be an explanation, but read for yourself.
That being said. I still think it's an interesting book about social engineering other people and how a justice system could not keep up with the development of computers and the internet. Is the book about hacking? Not so much. There are some random parts thrown in, where he explains a few things. But most of the time it's very vague. To gain access to information and source code he uses not hacking but social engineering people (some reviews say it's con artistry). Then he looks for exploits in the code and uses them. Later on he uses exploits to gain information about exploits other people have found. So it's not so much him hacking to find and use exploits and more of him using exploits from a tool box to gain access to new/more exploits to keep his toolbox up to date. What I'm trying to say is, that is not so much hacking in my opinion. But maybe it's just not the main focus of the book and therefore not explained that well.
My review sounds now a lot more negative than how I felt about the book. It's a good read with it's downs and if you are not that much bothered by some of Mitnick's personality quirks and/or interested into phone phreaking you should read it.
Kevin Mitnik tells his own story. How he became one of the earliest (and most famous) computer hackers, evaded the FBI, and eventually found a way to use his knowledge to educate. The author is clearly wildly egotistical and that's sometimes annoying while reading, but it's still a very interesting picture of hacking. In particular it makes very clear how irrelevant the technology is compared to the vulnerability of "social engineering", still a very relevant warning.
Hacker
Mitnick is s legend in the computer hacker underground and it's is ready to see why. Some of his storeyed hacks are amazing. Worth a read.
An excellent read; if you're in IT you need to read this book!
VAX/VMS, SunOS, netcat, ESS5, DMS100. All things I remember from my youth, I was a bit young for some of the phone tricks folks used, but reading about Kevin Mitnick's travels through a similar world was fun and refreshing. He did get the shaft repeatedly in the legal system, and procedures were not followed, but sometimes he sounds a bit whiny. He did break the law, and he knew it, even if it couldn't be proven correctly, he should have been punished.
A lead in to the modern day hackers, a guy who was out to do no more than collect information, just like many geeks do. He needed to know Stuff, just like trivia buffs, or the comic book guy on the simpsons. :)
His running from the law showed some of the holes in the system at the time that he exploited, and left room to think how …
VAX/VMS, SunOS, netcat, ESS5, DMS100. All things I remember from my youth, I was a bit young for some of the phone tricks folks used, but reading about Kevin Mitnick's travels through a similar world was fun and refreshing. He did get the shaft repeatedly in the legal system, and procedures were not followed, but sometimes he sounds a bit whiny. He did break the law, and he knew it, even if it couldn't be proven correctly, he should have been punished.
A lead in to the modern day hackers, a guy who was out to do no more than collect information, just like many geeks do. He needed to know Stuff, just like trivia buffs, or the comic book guy on the simpsons. :)
His running from the law showed some of the holes in the system at the time that he exploited, and left room to think how the new hackers, out with evil intent can exploit holes in our current system to accomplish the misdeeds they are up to.
