Description
Kevin Mitnick, the world's most celebrated hacker, now devotes his life to helping businesses and governments combat data thieves, cybervandals, and other malicious computer intruders. In his bestselling The Art of Deception, Mitnick presented fictionalized case studies that illustrated how savvy computer crackers use "social engineering" to compromise even the most technically secure computer systems. Now, in his new book, Mitnick goes one step further, offering hair-raising stories of real-life computer break-ins-and showing how the victims could have prevented them. Mitnick's reputation within the hacker community gave him unique credibility with the perpetrators of these crimes, who freely shared their stories with him-and whose exploits Mitnick now reveals in detail for the first time, including:
- A group of friends who won nearly a million dollars in Las Vegas by reverse-engineering slot machines
- Two teenagers who were persuaded by terrorists to hack into the Lockheed Martin computer systems
- Two convicts who joined forces to become hackers inside a Texas prison
- A "Robin Hood" hacker who penetrated the computer systems of many prominent companies-andthen told them how he gained access
About the Author
KEVIN MITNICK, whose own exploits have made him a veritable hacker's hero, shares more than a dozen true stories of cyber-invasions-devilishly ingenious, highly effective schemes that kick up your pulse rate even as you marvel at their sheer audacity. Each is followed by Mitnick's expert analysis of how the attack could have been prevented. And he is uniquely qualified to recommend effective security measures. Both a legend in the hacker underworld and a general in the war on cybercrime, Kevin Mitnick holds the one weapon most likely to take down the intruder-intimate knowledge of the hacker's brilliant and tenacious mind.
WILLIAM L. SIMON is an award-winning author and screenwriter who also collaborated with Kevin Mitnick on The Art of Deception.
Reviews
"...a valuable investment..." (AccountingWeb UK, 30th August 2005)
"...he retells stories provided by his other hackers of how they managed, often with pitiful ease, to break supposedly secure companies all over the world." (Director, May 2005)
"...a compilation of real hacking stories told to Mitnick by fellow hackers..." (VNUnet.com, March 2005)
It would be difficult to find an author with more credibility than Mitnick to write about the art of hacking. In 1995, he was arrested for illegal computer snooping, convicted and held without bail for two years before being released in 2002. He clearly inspires unusual fear in the authorities and unusual dedication in the legions of computer security dabblers, legal and otherwise. Renowned for his use of "social engineering," the art of tricking people into revealing secure information such as passwords, Mitnick (The Art of Deception) introduces readers to a fascinating array of pseudonymous hackers. One group of friends bilks Las Vegas casinos out of more than a million dollars by mastering the patterns inherent in slot machines; another fellow, less fortunate, gets mixed up with a presumed al-Qaeda-style terrorist; and a prison convict leverages his computer skills to communicate with the outside world, unbeknownst to his keepers. Mitnick's handling of these engrossing tales is exemplary, for which credit presumably goes to his coauthor, writing pro Simon. Given the complexity (some would say obscurity) of the material, the authors avoid the pitfall of drowning readers in minutiae. Uniformly readable, the stories-some are quite exciting-will impart familiar lessons to security pros while introducing lay readers to an enthralling field of inquiry. Agent, David Fugate. (Mar.) (Publishers Weekly, February 14, 2005)
Infamous criminal hacker turned computer security consultant Mitnick offers an expert sequel to his best-selling The Art of Deception, this time supplying real-life rather than fictionalized stories of contemporary hackers sneaking into corporate servers worldwide. Each chapter begins with a computer crime story that reads like a suspense novel; it is a little unnerving to learn how one's bank account is vulnerable to digital thieves or how hackers with an interest in gambling can rake in thousands of dollars in just minutes at a compromised slot machine. The hack revealed, Mitnick then walks readers step by step through a prevention method. Much like Deception, this book illustrates that hacking techniques can penetrate corporate and government systems protected by state-of-the-art security.
Mitnick's engaging writing style combines intrigue, entertainment, and education. As with Deception, information technology professionals can learn how to detect and prevent security breaches, while informed readers can sit back and enjoy the stories of cybercrime. Recommended for most public and academic libraries. --Joe Accardi, William Rainey Harper Coll. Lib., Palatine, IL (Library Journal, January 15, 2005)
Book Information
ISBN 9780764569593
Author Kevin D. Mitnick
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint John Wiley & Sons Inc
Publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc
Weight(grams) 476g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 160mm * 25mm
