Kevin Mitnick, born in 1963, is one of the most well-known hackers in the world. After gaining unauthorized access to the Pentagon’s security system and hacking into Colorado’s air defense system, Mitnick remained on the run for quite some time. His activities made him one of the most hunted cybercriminals since his time. Following an explosive investigation by the FBI, Mitnick was apprehended in 1995 and sentenced to five years in prison.
What makes the case even more unusual was that he is the only person in the legal annals who was officially prohibited from approaching a coffee machine by court order since it was held that he could hack even one. No precaution was too extreme for authorities when it came to his skills in social engineering and cybersecurity exploits.
Mitnick had not only targeted government and corporate systems with his hacking but also mockingly pranked judges and law enforcers with respect to his case. For example, he made mischief with the telephone networks so that throughout this grand drama, some people received bills for thousands of dollars for calls they did not make. His ability to exploit weaknesses both in technology and in the human psyche has cemented him as a legendary name in hacking.
