The Fugitive Game

Kevin David Mitnick was cyberspace's most wanted hacker. Mitnick could launch missiles or cripple the world's financial markets with a single phone call - or so went the myth. The FBI, phone companies, bounty hunters and even fellow hackers pursued him over the Internet and through cellular airways. But while Mitnick's alleged crimes have been widely publicized, his story has never been told. This book looks into the mind of the serial hacker. Drawing on over 50 hours of telephone conversations with Mitnick on the run, this book reveals Mitnick's double life; his narrow escapes; his new identities; complete with college degrees of his choosing; his hacking techniques and mastery of "social engineering"; and his obsession with revenge. Mitnick's story begins in Hollywood when a sadomasochistic FBI informant entices Mitnick with the ultimate hacker tool: the power to wiretrap anybody, anywhere, anytime. While fleeing from the FBI, Mitnick became a legendary outlaw and his alleged crimes landed him on the front page of the "New York Times" twice.
When the FBI proved incapable of capturing him, Tsutomu Shinomura, a Japanese security expert, set out to nab the hacker in the name of honour. This book not only reads like a spy thriller, but raises questions about Internet security and tensions between constitutional rights of privacy and law enforcement. Did corporations, members of the media and law enforcement use illegal or unconstitutional means to capture Mitnick, as he alleges? And why was Mitnick, who allegedly stole thousands of credit cards, found living in a modest apartment, working at a regular job? Drawing on extensive interviews with Mitnick and a host of new facts, this book uncovers the true story behind the 20th century's most dramatic electronic chase.