Mitnick Hacked....

[Tazinator]

This is good. Maybe now people will stop idolizing and praising Mitnick for being the best. Not to knock him, but hes not the "Greatest hacker who ever lived" as I have seen him proclaimed by the media and others.

Famous hacker suffers break-ins to own corporate Web site

By Ted Bridis, The Associated Press Feb 10 2003 12:10PM

The world's best-known computer hacker suffered the indignity of having someone break into his new security consulting company's Web site. But Kevin Mitnick shrugged it off as "quite amusing," not serious enough for him to call the FBI.

Mitnick, whose federal probation on hacking charges ended a few weeks ago, acknowledged that this weekend's electronic break-in at Defensive Thinking Inc. of Los Angeles was actually the second time in weeks that hackers found a way into the computer running the firm's Web site.

A hacker calling himself "BugBear" added one page to Mitnick's corporate Web site on Jan. 30 with a message, "Welcome back to freedom, Mr. Kevin," and added that "it was fun and easy to break into your box." He included a photograph of a polar bear with two cubs.

Another, similar break-in occurred Sunday by a hacker in Texas who asked Mitnick to hire him as the company's security officer.

In neither instance did hackers vandalize the company's Web pages, and one said in e-mail that he didn't do damage "out of respect for me," Mitnick said.

Mitnick said he did not contact the FBI because the break-ins didn't involve any financial loss to his company, which advertises "training and expertise to help you stop information theft."

The FBI and Justice Department would not comment.

Most security experts consider the risk of such break-ins a nuisance for government agencies and corporations, since sensitive information about consumers is commonly stored on separate computers with better protection. But these break-ins can be embarrassing for organizations and indicate inattention to Internet security risks.

"No customer information was released nor was in danger of being compromised," Mitnick's company said in a statement Monday.

Mitnick's probation, which barred him from using the Internet, ended Jan. 20. He was released from prison three years ago after serving a five-year sentence. Mitnick was accused of costing companies millions of dollars by stealing software and altering computer information.

His supporters, who during his time behind bars plastered the phrase "Free Kevin" on hundreds of Web sites, maintain that his crimes were vastly exaggerated.

Mitnick said Monday that the hackers apparently exploited separate flaws in Internet server software from Microsoft Corp. The person responsible for the company's Web site failed to apply the repairing patches available from Microsoft, Mitnick said.

"I haven't had any time to play webmaster, but it looks like I'll have to look into it," Mitnick wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Actually, it's quite amusing. All the hackers out there figure if they can hack Kevin Mitnick's site, they're the king of the hill."

[Metgod]

hehe

very interesting article. Cheers Taz.

as far as Mitnick, I think there are a lot of misconceptions. He is good with social engineering; not so much rooting machines. And it also goes to show that even those known or even the best (which he is not) can have problems. Hell, Attrition was even defaced.

Best thing though: We never have. :)

Keep it up Taz, and thanks for sharing. :)

Met

BTW: anyone know the URL to his company's website ? I would like to check it out.

[Syxx]

http://www.defensivethinking.com/

Heh, I didnt know Darci Wood from TechTV is his girlfriend.

[Uneek]

Yeah... I had topic'd that on the #hfx channel... I think it's pretty funny not to mention a serious wake up call for everyone. Let's see what happens now with his Consultation Firm.

[Metgod]

well

maybe he'll SE his way out of this too, thereby letting everyone know that it isn't an issue or something.

hehe

seriously though, I think it's social engineering he is good at, and that is what his company is about. I do wish  him luck though. Only time can tell.

Met

[wilnix]

f(_|ck his media hype. The guy isn't the gawd of all hacker's and doesn't even consider himself one. So he can search through garbage cans for data and call people up and act like somebody else...o.O

K, nuff said

Wilnix