Kevin Mitnick, the infamous hacker who was once the subject of a nationwide manhunt by the FBI, passed away on July 16 at the age of 59. Notably, Mitnick had already served a brief prison sentence for computer crimes before the FBI arrested him in 1995. During his arrest, Mitnick expressed respect for Tsutomu Shimomura, a cybersecurity expert who had helped law enforcement track him down. The movie depicted Mitnick’s hacking activities, including the theft of credit card numbers and corporate trade secrets. During Mitnick’s arrest, the internet was still a new phenomenon, and the public perception of hackers was in flux.

Source: Washington Post July 20, 2023 20:45 UTC