Security News > 2023 > July > RIP Kevin Mitnick: Former most-wanted hacker dies at 59

Obit Kevin Mitnick, probably the world's most-famous computer hacker - and subsequently writer, public speaker, and security consultant - has succumbed to pancreatic cancer.

"We've lost a true pioneer of the digital world, Kevin Mitnick," said Chris Wysopal, a former member of the L0pht team and today an infosec CTO. "His ingenuity challenged systems, incited dialogues, and pushed boundaries in cybersecurity. He will remain a testament to the uncharted power of curiosity."

Kevin's wife Kimberley, who is pregnant with their son, said: "Till we see each other again, I know you are here with me. I hear your voice. Our son will know you and I am convinced he will be a mini you. I am grateful we have so many friends all over the world who will teach our son how to hack and more importantly who the real Kevin Mitnick was."

Mitnick was sometimes known as the Ghost in the Wires after his book of the same name, and was an early celebrity in the area of computer security, as well as a sometime Register contributor.

As a teenager, Mitnick worked out how to obtain free travel on the bus system of the greater Los Angeles area in his native California, and later progressed to breaking into the computer systems of Digital Equipment Corporation and Pacific Bell.

Business partner Stu Sjouwerman said: "Kevin was a dear friend to me and many of us here at KnowBe4. He is truly a luminary in the development of the cybersecurity industry, but mostly, Kevin was just a wonderful human being and he will be dearly missed."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/07/20/kevin_mitnick_obit/