Ghost in the Wires by Kevin D. Mitnick

Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin D. Mitnick

Ok, here is one from left field that I read in late 2017. Here is the blurb:

Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world's biggest companies, and however fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. He spent years skipping through cyberspace, always three steps ahead and labeled unstoppable. For Mitnick, hacking wasn't just about technological feats; it was an old-fashioned confidence game that required guile and deception to trick the unwitting out of valuable information.

Driven by a powerful urge to accomplish the impossible, Mitnick bypassed security systems and blazed into major organizations including Motorola, Sun Microsystems, and Pacific Bell. As the FBI's net began to tighten, Mitnick went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated cat-and-mouse game that led through false identities, a host of cities, plenty of close shaves, and an ultimate showdown with the Feds, who would stop at nothing to bring him down. 

Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escape, and a portrait of a visionary whose creativity, skills, and persistence forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, inspiring ripples that brought permanent changes in the way people and companies protect their most sensitive information.

As someone who has worked in IT on mainframes and unix/linux systems, I could understand at a basic level a lot of what Kevin Mitnick was able to do and much of it was not hacking so much as social engineering - ringing up and tricking people into giving him computer access, then getting into the system and stealing proprietry material. Where his real skills did seem to lie was in the field of telephone switches and telephony. 

He comes across as someone who made most of his own trouble. He did not really cover his tracks sufficiently or hide his ill gotten gains adequately. In reading the book, you know he is eventually going to get caught and he does on several occasions. He remains uncontrite to the end, never really acknowledging the gravity of what he has done and seemingly blaming the system rather than acknowledging the fact that what he did was wrong. He is an irritating character to say the least.

You are not going to enjoy this book unless you are a computer nerd like me. But I did enjoy it and was prompted to go out and watch some youtube clips of the man himself, and to download ebook copies of The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion. No, I haven't read them yet but they are there waiting!