Kevin Mitnick

Biography:

As the world's most famous reformed hacker, Kevin Mitnick has been the subject of countlessnews and magazine articles published throughout the world. Currently he is a security consultant to corporations worldwide and cofounder of Defensive Thinking, a Los Angeles-based consulting firm. Mitnick has testified before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs on the need for legislation to ensure the security of the government's information systems.

His articles have appeared in major news magazines and trade journals, and he has appeared on Court TV, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, CNN's Burden of Proof and Headline News. Mitnick has also been a keynote speaker at numerous industry events and has hosted a weekly radio show on KFI-AM 640 Los Angeles.

Past Shows:

	God, Light, & Physics
	Monday February 11, 2008

Author Lee Baumann M.D. described his evolution from an atheist to spiritual perspective, and presented the concept that God could be thought of as light. He cited studies in quantum physics, NDE encounters and religious accounts as all sharing similar descriptions of light. Light (not just visible light, but electromagnetic radiation) is found throughout the universe, and exists outside our four dimensions (including time), he said. According to quantum physics, light is a type of cosmic consciousness— it is omnipresent, existing everywhere at one time and allows for an instantaneous transfer of information. Further, all matter will eventually decompose into light, he added. Many religions describe God in terms of light, and Baumann no longer feels this is metaphorical. He spoke about how near-death experiencers saw beams of light coming out of the Earth-- they were told these were prayers. ... More
Host: George Noory

	Space: Missions & Ventures
	Thursday July 6, 2006

Space historian Robert Zimmerman shared his insights on such topics as the Shuttle mission, upcoming technology, and commercial ventures in space.The current Shuttle mission has been "remarkably successful," he declared, with the craft showing almost no tile damage, indicating NASA solved the tile problem better than they anticipated. He credited NASA head Mike Griffin with turning the agency around. Yet given a choice, Zimmerman would close down NASA and encourage private enterprise to stimulate space exploration and tourism. Robert Bigelow, he noted, is planning to build space resorts and has offered a $50 million prize to the first company to create a spacecraft capable of repeatedly carrying passengers into orbit.He also commented on next generation technology such as the infrared-seeing James Webb Telescope which may be able to view the "first star" when it launches, and the Crew Exploration Vehicle which will replace the Shuttle. Plans for this vehicle (which has been r ... More
Host: George Noory

	Computer-Related Topics
	Saturday January 28, 2006

Computer security expert Kevin Mitnick touched on a variety of computer- and security-related topics, including OS vulnerabilities and defenses, hacking, and government communication monitoring. Mitnick said all computer operating systems have flaws that can be exploited. If you're connected to the Internet, he explained, you should assume you can be attacked and ask yourself, "What can I do to limit the damage?" Mitnick suggested computer users operate behind a firewall.Mitnick commented on the recent White House wiretapping story and said while he doesn't agree with the President's actions, he probably would have done the same thing in the interest of national security. He also theorized about how the government could be using sophisticated computers and voice recognition software to monitor all domestic and international communications, though he admitted it's a unlikely scenario.The world's most famous hacker also talked about script kiddies, cyber-warfare, social e ... More
Host: Art Bell

	New England Poltergeist
	Wednesday June 8, 2005

Paranormal investigator John Zaffis returned to the show, along with two witnesses, to discuss a significant poltergeist case that recently occurred to a New England family. A young girl going through puberty initially became the focus of unusual activity, with her heavy bed moving on its own. Spirits may be attracted to a child's energy or aura during adolescence, as they can draw on this energy (as well as that of electrical appliances) in order to manifest, explained Zaffis. Mary-Pat, the mother of the girl, said that the events started off as mischievous but over time progressed into more violent and disturbing incidents (such as scratching and biting, spontaneous fires), occurring at both their house, and the grandmother's who lived in an adjacent home on the same property. Unexplained writing was also found including a note that said "I'll kick you in your bum," and pets vanished and then reappeared in odd places such as the roof and clothes dryer.There were also numero ... More
Host: George Noory

	Real Hacking Stories
	Saturday March 26, 2005

World-famous hacker and 'vulnerability researcher,' Kevin Mitnick, provided a glimpse into the minds of hackers, as well as shared real hacking stories from his newest book, The Art of Intrusion. Mitnick said many hackers use "social engineering" to trick people into revealing secure information about their network. In one example, he reported how a hacker was able to physically enter a company's conference room and plug in a wireless access point from which he could later launch remote attacks against the company's computer systems.In another story from his book, Mitnick detailed how a man from India actively recruited hackers to break into government sites. Using two hackers (one from Canada, the other from Florida), he was able to access Chinese universities, the Atomic Research Center in India, and Lockheed Martin. Perhaps even more frightening, the hackers successfully penetrated Boeing's computer network and stole schematics for the nose of the Boeing 747 aircraft ... More
Host: Art Bell

	Kevin Mitnick Update
	Friday June 18, 2004

The first two hours of Friday's show featured reformed hacker and computer security expert Kevin Mitnick. He fielded calls from listeners and discussed this week's distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which temporarily interrupted service to several popular web sites including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo. He also mentioned the new cell phone virus Cabir, and related a story about hackers he knew who were able to steal address book and other data from a certain manufacturer's cell phone.Mitnick is currently working on a new book tentatively titled The Art of Intrusion, which will reveal true, untold stories of successful hackers. One story being considered for inclusion is about two hackers who reverse engineered a video poker machine and wrote a program that could predict the exact moment a royal flush was due to hit. According to Mitnick, they took Vegas for several hundred thousand dollars. If you're a current or former hacker and want to help with this book, send ... More
Host: George Noory

	Hacking A to Z
	Tuesday February 10, 2004

The world’s most famous (reformed) hacker, Kevin Mitnick (defensivethinking) discussed how computer hackers nowadays can run the gamut from hardcore terrorists to teenagers trying to impress their friends. Telephone systems are also vulnerable and Mitnick recounted a tale of a hacker who discovered a radio stations' rollover numbers, and through using call forwarding was able rig numerous call-in contests. Mitnick commented that his crimes were never about making a profit, but rather for the "intellectual challenge," and the thrill of being somewhere he shouldn't be. He currently runs Defensive Thinking, a consulting firm that helps to stop information theft. Right now,wireless devices pose the biggest threat to security Mitnick commented. He will be serving as Chairman, later this year to the Access Denied Conference in Las Vegas, and is also collecting stories for use in his forthcoming book The Art of Intrusion. ... More
Host: George Noory

	Calling All Ghouls
	Friday August 22, 2003

This Friday night, George opened a special topic line for Ghouls and Vampires, which drew some interesting characters out of the woodwork. There was a vampire who said he was on the prowl on the street, but that he sucked energy rather than blood. A bartender from New Orleans told of an eloquent Goth vampire who startled him with his retractable fangs. Other intriguing calls included an artist who said she was "driven by outside forces," to create demonic "death drawings," which depicted such things as human/animal mixtures. In the three times she gave this type of art to other people, they all came to untimely ends shortly after getting her work. At a bonfire with friends in the South Missouri woods, a caller told of capturing a 4-ft. tall gray critter, that seemed more human than animal. It was currently being kept in a cage in the garage and "it loves meat," he said. Another strange creature tale came from a woman in Massachusetts who described seeing a male and female Big ... More
Host: George Noory

	Computer Security
	Monday February 3, 2003

"Once you become aware of how a con game works you're in a much better position to defend yourself," reformed hacker Kevin Mitnick (defensivethinking) said on Monday night's program. He chronicled his life before and after his arrest for computer crimes, and offered tips to protect one's private information. "What the worm did was exploit a known vulnerability," Mitnick said of the recent Internet intrusion that slowed down systems internationally."Businesses need to be concerned about configuration and patch management. Otherwise they're just low-hanging fruit," to be picked off he added. More ominously he warned of "Zero Day Exploits." "There's no fix for it," he said of a type of cyber infiltration that takes advantage of unrealized vulnerabilities, and is done to advance whatever the hacker's agenda is. ... More
Host: George Noory

	Linda Howe / Kevin Mitnick
	Monday October 21, 2002

Earthfiles reporter and editor, Linda M. Howe, is an Emmy Award-winning TV producer, investigative reporter and author. Linda is featured every Saturday evening on DreamlandAs the world's most famous hacker, Kevin has been the subject of countless news and magazine articles published throughout the world. With more than fifteen years of experience in exploring computer security, Kevin Mitnick is a largely self-taught expert in exposing the vulnerabilities of complex operating systems and telecommunications devices. ... More
Host: Art Bell