Kevin Mitnick Quotes

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Kevin Mitnick

Profession : Businessman

Birth : August 6, 1963

My primary goal of hacking was the intellectual curiosity, the seduction of adventure.

Kevin Mitnick

I got so passionate about technology. Hacking to me was like a video game. It was about getting trophies. I just kept going on and on, despite all the trouble I was getting into, because I was hooked.

Kevin Mitnick

Computer hacking really results in financial losses and hassles. The objectives of terrorist groups are more serious. That is not to say that cyber groups can't access a telephone switch in Manhattan on a day like 9/11, shut it down, and therefore cause more casualties.

Kevin Mitnick

To some people I'll always be the bad guy.

Kevin Mitnick

Hacking is exploiting security controls either in a technical, physical or a human-based element.

Kevin Mitnick

I think malware is a significant threat because the mitigation, like antivirus software, hasn't evolved to a point to really mitigate the risk to a reasonable degree.

Kevin Mitnick

The hacker mindset doesn't actually see what happens on the other side, to the victim.

Kevin Mitnick

I don't know of any case that involves computer hacking where there were multiple defendants charged where there wasn't an informant on the case.

Kevin Mitnick

Phone phreaking is a type of hacking that allows you to explore the telephone network by exploiting the phone systems and phone company employees.

Kevin Mitnick

Businesses should absolutely set aside funding in their budgets for security consultants. Unless there is an expert on staff, and there usually is not, it needs to be outsourced.

Kevin Mitnick

Security is always going to be a cat and mouse game because there'll be people out there that are hunting for the zero day award, you have people that don't have configuration management, don't have vulnerability management, don't have patch management.

Kevin Mitnick

I use Mac. Not because it's more secure than everything else - because it is actually less secure than Windows - but I use it because it is still under the radar. People who write malicious code want the greatest return on their investment, so they target Windows systems. I still work with Windows in virtual machines.

Kevin Mitnick

It's actually a smarter crime because imagine if you rob a bank, or you're dealing drugs. If you get caught you're going to spend a lot of time in custody. But with hacking, it's much easier to commit the crime and the risk of punishment is slim to none.

Kevin Mitnick

The hacking trend has definitely turned criminal because of e-commerce.

Kevin Mitnick

Back up everything! You are not invulnerable. Catastrophic data loss can happen to you - one worm or Trojan is all it takes.

Kevin Mitnick

My hacking was all about becoming the best at circumventing security. So when I was a fugitive, I worked systems administrator jobs to make money. I wasn't stealing money or using other people's credit cards. I was doing a 9-to-5 job.

Kevin Mitnick

It's kind of interesting, because hacking is a skill that could be used for criminal purposes or legitimate purposes, and so even though in the past I was hacking for the curiosity, and the thrill, to get a bite of the forbidden fruit of knowledge, I'm now working in the security field as a public speaker.

Kevin Mitnick

My hacking involved pretty much exploring computer systems and obtaining access to the source code of telecommunication systems and computer operating systems, because my goal was to learn all I can about security vulnerabilities within these systems.

Kevin Mitnick

Hacking was the only entertainment that would occupy my mind - like a huge video game, but with real consequences. I could have evaded the FBI a lot longer if I had been able to control my passion for hacking.

Kevin Mitnick

When an attacker fails with one person, they often go to another person. The key is to report the attack to other departments. Workers should know to act like they are going along with what the hacker wants and take copious notes so the company will know what the hacker is trying to find.

Kevin Mitnick