Forwarded From: William Knowles <erehwon@kizmiaz.dis.org>
http://www.forbes.com/tool/html/99/apr/0405/feat.htm
By Adam L. Penenberg
Forbes Digital Tool 4-5-99
Kevin Mitnick is the most famous hacker in history. He has been in prison
for more than four years for crimes that, when you get down to it, amount
to little more than illegally copying proprietary software belonging to
major companies including Motorola, Nokia and Sun.
He was made a household name by New York Times reporter John Markoff, who
featured Mitnick in a book called Cyberpunk (published in 1991), then
wrote a front page story for the Times on July 4, 1994, that portrayed
Mitnick as a superhacker who could wreak cyberhavoc--and ruin lives--if
not caught by the Feds.
Then a funny thing happened. Markoff's friend, Tsutomu Shimomura, claimed
that Mitnick had hacked his home computer on Christmas Day, 1994, and went
after him, with Markoff in tow. When Shimomura tracked Mitnick down in
North Carolina, Markoff was there for the kill. This was documented in
subsequent front-page stories and a book called Takedown, for which
Markoff and Shimomura shared a $750,000 advance. Expect the movie version
soon.
Markoff became a journalism star as a result of his crusade. Shimomura's
name, in the ultimate geek tribute, is recognized by Microsoft Word98
spell check. Not even Sherlock Holmes can say that.
Yet, according to Dale Coddington and Brian Martin, both of whom were
hired by the defense to comb through the 9 gigabytes of electronic
evidence amassed against Mitnick, there is no proof that Mitnick hacked
Shimomura. For all the fanfare it received, it was never contained in the
indictment. Yet, the media coverage has had a profound impact on Mitnick's
case.
Mitnick reads everything written about him and says he often can’t believe
what he reads. He has seen himself portrayed as a "dark side" hacker
intent on toppling civilization; a criminal who as a teenager penetrated
computers at NORAD, inspiring the hit flick War Games; a phone phreaker
who, just by whistling three tones into a telephone receiver, could launch
World War III; and a computer hacker who, merely armed with a computer
sans modem, could wreak cyberhavoc from his jail cell.
But the reality is a lot less sexy. Kevin Mitnick is a recreational hacker
with a compulsive-obsessive relationship to information. He hoarded
information, never sold it, and wouldn’t even share it with his friends.
Although he is portrayed in the upcoming film Takedown as an evil menace
to society, Mitnick is really just your average geek who has done some bad
things in his life, and has paid the price. To this day, he would like
nothing more than to dissect some computer program to see how it works.
Says Martin, who often visited Mitnick in prison, "Kevin still wants to
look through cellular source code to see how it works. You can see it in
his eyes that he'd love to kick back with a printout and just figure it
out on his own."
Mitnick doesn’t trust the media. But he agreed to let Forbes interview him
over a span of several evenings recently by telephone.
Here is Kevin Mitnick in his own words:
Forbes.com [F]: How would you characterize the media coverage of you?
Mitnick [M]: When I read about myself in the media even I don't recognize
me. The myth of Kevin Mitnick is much more interesting than the reality of
Kevin Mitnick. If they told the reality, no one would care.
[F} Have stories that John Markoff wrote about you in The New York Times
had any impact on your legal proceedings?
[M} Markoff has single-handedly created "The Myth of Kevin Mitnick,"
which everyone is using to advance their own agendas. I wasn't a hacker
for the publicity. I never hacked for personal gain. If I was some unknown
hacker, accused of copying programs from cell phone companies, I wouldn't
be here. Markoff's printing false and defamatory material about me on the
front page of The New York Times had a substantial effect on my case and
reputation. He's the main reason I'm still in custody.
[F] The Times continues to report (most recently on March 18) that you had
hacked NORAD. Is this true?
[M] No way, no how did I break into NORAD. That's a complete myth. And I
never attempted to access anything considered to be classified government
systems.
[F] What do you think about hacks done in your name--for instance, last
September's hack of The New York Times web site. Do they further your
cause?
[M] I don't condone anyone causing damage in my name, or doing anything
malicious in support of my plight. There are more productive ways to help
me. As a hacker myself, I never intentionally damaged anything.
[F] How have you spent most of your time in prison?
[M] Most people here are content watching TV, playing pinochle, dominoes
and poker. I work on my defense 14 hours a day.
[F] What do you think of the restrictions placed on you when you get out
of prison as part of your plea agreement?
[M] The requirements mandating I can't touch a computer or cell or
cordless phone are akin to telling a forger not to use a pen or paper.
There is no way I can earn a living when I get out. I couldn't even work
at McDonald's. All I could do is something like gardening.
[F] What do you plan on doing when you get out of prison?
[M] "I don't know, but once I get out of here and get on with the rest of
my life, I'll never intentionally violate the law."
What do you think about Kevin Mitnick? Let us know in our forum.
-o-
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Received on Tue Apr 6 08:47:08 1999