Kevin Mitnick, one of the most famous computer hackers, the first cybercriminal to appear among the most wanted people in the United States in the 1990s, died on Sunday at the age of 59, US media announced Thursday.
Mitnick suffered from pancreatic cancer. His wife is pregnant with their first child, according to the obituary published by a funeral home in Las Vegas, where he was from. ‘The New York Times’, which advanced the information, also obtained confirmation from the cybersecurity company co-founded by the hacker.
Nicknamed ‘The Condor’, Kevin Mitnick was considered the king of hackers in the 1990s, having long defied US authorities by remotely stealing thousands of data files, including trade secrets, and credit card numbers, which he claimed he had never used.
He was arrested in 1995 by the FBI, thanks to the help of another cybersecurity specialist, the Japanese Tsutomu Shimomura, whose computer he had managed to hack.
Charged with illegal use of the telephone network and computer fraud, Kevin Mitnick pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison. A disproportionate punishment for his fans who then organized a worldwide movement in support, even attacking media sites to display a ‘Free Kevin’ banner.
When he was released from prison in January 2000, he became a ‘white hat’, the name given to ethical hackers who test computer security on behalf of companies. He also lectured and wrote several books, including an account of his years on the run: ‘The Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker’ (Little Brown and Company, 2011).
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