The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders and Deceivers - Paperback

by Kevin D. Mitnick (Author), William L. Simon (Author)

Hacker extraordinaire Kevin Mitnick delivers the explosive encore to his bestselling The Art of Deception
Kevin Mitnick, the world's most celebrated hacker, now devotes his life to helping businesses and governments combat data thieves, cybervandals, and other malicious computer intruders. In his bestselling The Art of Deception, Mitnick presented fictionalized case studies that illustrated how savvy computer crackers use "social engineering" to compromise even the most technically secure computer systems. Now, in his new book, Mitnick goes one step further, offering hair-raising stories of real-life computer break-ins-and showing how the victims could have prevented them. Mitnick's reputation within the hacker community gave him unique credibility with the perpetrators of these crimes, who freely shared their stories with him-and whose exploits Mitnick now reveals in detail for the first time, including:

• A group of friends who won nearly a million dollars in Las Vegas by reverse-engineering slot machines
• Two teenagers who were persuaded by terrorists to hack into the Lockheed Martin computer systems
• Two convicts who joined forces to become hackers inside a Texas prison
• A "Robin Hood" hacker who penetrated the computer systems of many prominent companies-andthen told them how he gained access

With riveting "you are there" descriptions of real computer break-ins, indispensable tips on countermeasures security professionals need to implement now, and Mitnick's own acerbic commentary on the crimes he describes, this book is sure to reach a wide audience-and attract the attention of both law enforcement agencies and the media.

Front Jacket

Four pals clean up in Vegas with a pocket-sized computer. A bored Canadian teen gains access to the wire transfers section of a major Southern bank. A couple of kids are recruited to hack into Lockheed Martin and the Defense Information System Network by a terrorist with ties to Osama bin Laden.

And these stories are true.

If you're the security officer in your organization, the tales in this book crawled out of that closet where your nightmares live. Fears about national security keeping you awake? Put the coffee on; it gets worse. And if you just enjoy a heck of a good cliff-hanger full of spies and real-life intrigue, strap yourself in for a wild read.

Back Jacket

"Enter the hostile world of computer crime from the comfort of your own armchair. Mitnick presents ten compelling chapters, each the result of an interview with a real hacker about a real attack. A must-read for anyone with an interest in information security."
--Tom Parker, Computer Security Analyst and founder of Global InterSec LLC

"Each chapter begins with a computer crime story that reads like a suspense novel."
--Library Journal

"It would be difficult to find an author with more credibility than Mitnick to write about the art of hacking.... [The Art of Intrusion] introduces readers to a fascinating array of pseudonymous hackers. One group bilks Las Vegas casinos out of more than a million dollars by mastering the patterns inherent in slot machines; another fellow, less fortunate, gets mixed up with a presumed al-Qaeda-style terrorist.... Uniformly readable, the stories ... will impart familiar lessons to security pros while introducing lay readers to an enthralling field of inquiry."
--Publishers Weekly

When you're a legend among hackers, they tell you their stories

If you're a computer security officer, these tales crawled out of that closet where your nightmares live. Fears about national security keeping you awake? Put the coffee on; it gets worse. And if you just enjoy a darn good real-life spy story, strap yourself in for a wild read.

Author Biography

Kevin D. Mitnick, bestselling author of The Art of Deception, may be the most celebrated hacker ever to "go legit" and apply his considerable skills to helping organizations protect themselves from people like himself. Considered an authority on preventing security breaches, he has appeared on Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, and others.

William L. Simon is coauthor of The Art of Deception and the bestseller iCon: Steve Jobs, also published by Wiley.