zlacker

If you're looking for other stories, The Art of Deception (Mitnick specific) and The Art of Intrusion (not all Mitnick) have a ton.

>>giantg+(OP)
I used to read these while procrastinating on network security exams. Damn, they were a lot more fun than expected.

>>giantg+(OP)
Those two books, plus Ghost in the Wires, are absolute must reads for anyone who visits HN

>>giantg+(OP)
In a similar vein of social engineering, Exploding The Phone is good read about the Phreakers of yore.

>>giantg+(OP)
I wish I remember which book I read about Mitnick (and others).

I developed a strong dislike for Mitnick, however. As others have said, he came across as an adolescent with an over-sized ego. More "Jackass" than "Silicon Valley". Although I'm sure he's not the only "hacker" for whom illegal entry into computer systems gave him a sense of self-importance.

No thanks.

Edit: yeah, probably was "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier". I still don't think "bullshit artist" is something to aspire to.

>>JKCalh+m4
Eh, social engineering was and still is a major component of infosec, right?

He was very good at that segment of the industry ("penetration testing" via social engineering).

>>JKCalh+m4
That was the book I remembered. Great set of stories.

>>DropIn+f8
Manipulating people is more interesting in some ways than exploiting a bit of badly written software because while I write terrible code all the time, I could fix it too but there's no patching our stupid stupid brains. We can try to be more careful, and avoid falling for things others have already, but the flaws are still there just waiting for the moment our guard is down.

>>JKCalh+m4
I never saw anything inspirational about what he did but it did highlight just how human fallilble our computer technology could be.

Could have got the message out in a better way but the story of him avoiding the law provides that sort of thriller plot line that engages people.

>>JKCalh+m4
I think it's more that he was one of the first/earliest to use technology to amplify his skills on a scale previously out of reach of most people. Coupled with the fact that he was way ahead of his opponents and a young man, it is quite understandable the path he took.no one is perfect, but don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

>>giantg+(OP)
Ghost in the Wires is a good one too

>>dylan6+54
It's in my Amazon list and now I know why. I'm 34 and learned about phreaking well after it was a thing but it inspired me.

Now I'm a cybersecurity consultant (glorified sysadmin) making a nice salary but without any of the joy that was present in my 20s rebelling against my F100 company's IT policy. Installing Dokuwiki on a shadow server just to get shit done. Helping write a custom request system to get shit done. Consequences came after.

I'm not comparing myself to Mitnick, rest in peace, only reflecting on the passing of a titan before my prime that represents a moment in communication hacking that may never exist again.

>>autoex+jb
Some human exploits can be patched, at least partially. 2FA with hardware authentication helps prevent people from leaking their own passwords and such. Phishing detectors help. Etc. I'm sad to admit my wife is better at this than me. Any time anyone she doesn't know tries to talk to her, she's quick to escape. I tend to try to politely decline, she just books it

>>freedo+e3
The question is should we buy them or pirate!

>>unethi+ek
> making a nice salary but without any of the joy that was present in my 20s rebelling against my F100 company's IT policy

You just hit it. That feeling. Me too, nowadays I mostly go through the motions. No enthusiasm, no joy, no interest, no energy... no "spark". Mitnick lived and shined at a time when showing off didn't just land you in jail. Until it did.

Long live the legend.

>>8n4vid+Tm
There is no patch for human stupidity.

>>unethi+ek
Labelling the installation of DokuWiki as rebellion just made my day :-D

>>blacko+Cq
the answer is "social engineer a librarian to get them for free"

>>retroc+Ls
Education is a patch. It's very hard to install though.

>>retroc+Ls
Against stupidity the Gods themselves contend vain.

>>8n4vid+Tm
It is called a workaround not a patch.

>>celtic+hd
I think it was within reach of plenty of people but most people with that ability decided that breaking the law wasn't what they wanted to do with their lives.

>>gv83+tu
"Good <timeperiod>, <librarian>, I'd like to borrow this book please"?

Or the way my 3yo daughter does it these days; "beep".

>>gv83+tu
Librarian: all the books are free here...

>>unethi+ek
I feel you. I'm the security champion for my team. It's no joy and all paper pushing. Just the other day they handed over some systems to me... 20 open vulnerabilities and 6 missing assessments. Nobody gives a damn about security.

>>splitb+Rt
Confluence was a piece of crap 10 years ago.

>>unethi+CY1
Eh... it still kinda sucks.