Ghost in the Wires

My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker

By: Kevin Mitnick, William L. Simon

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

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. But for Kevin, 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. But as the FBI’s net began to tighten, Kevin 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 to 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.

©2011 Kevin Mitnick. Foreword 2011 by Steve Wozniak (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Intriguing, insightful, and extremely educational into the mind of one who truly mastered the art of social engineering with the use of a computer and modern-day technologies. I strongly believe that one can learn a great deal about protecting themselves once they understand how another one perpetrates the crime.” (Frank W. Abagnale, author of Catch Me If You Can)

Fascinating look at the story behind the hype.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Kevin's story come across as truthful. Its often unflattering but it really is a fascinating look at the story that made headlines.

Great Narrator; fascinating story.

There is enough technical detail to keep geeks like me interested but it's explained in layman's terms where appropriate so that anyone can follow along and understand what's going on. Highly recommended!

A Great Book

Where does Ghost in the Wires rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

one of the best

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

From the Steve Wozniak introduction on, it is a great read

What about Ray Porter’s performance did you like?

strong performance

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Catch Me If You Can on steroids

Any additional comments?

really enjoyed the whole book

A bit unbelievable in places

I bought this on a whim, but I understand it's a biography. Now I'm no hacker, but I was around computers from the Apple II in the late 70s and some of the story didn't ring true to me. An example being at one point the author pulled the modem cable out of the computer he was using and then disconnected from the Internet - how exactly was it possible to stay connected to the Internet after the modem cable was pulled out, and wouldn't 'the most famous hacker in the world' know how things like that work?

There were also continuity errors. In a biography. What do these things tell you? They tell me it was, at least in part, made up.

There's nothing wrog with made up books per se of course, but it's slightly different when it's presented as true - or maybe it's dramatised and I missed that.

Regardless it's not a bad listen, the performance is great and it hums along at a fair pace. I was ready for it to end before it finished however. Bottom line is that it passed the drive to and from work for a week or so and got me through until my next monthly credit arrived, so for what I paid I'm happy enough.

Fascinating

If you could sum up Ghost in the Wires in three words, what would they be?

Exciting, unbelievable, true

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

That one person could social engineer so many people and get his hands on so much source code is just unbelievable. Some of the things he did defy belief. And yet, at the same time, he seemed somewhat narcissistic and callous.

Which character – as performed by Ray Porter – was your favorite?

Kevin Mitnick

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I never knew what "phone freakers" were until I read this book.

Worth it!

Reviting story and great voice to along with the story. Worth the money or credit.

Wow, just wow.

What made the experience of listening to Ghost in the Wires the most enjoyable?

The fact that I grew up ALMOST doing all the stuff Kevin got into. The icing on the cake was I got a job at SWBT, and I became a hotshot troubleshooter for of all things- dial up modem trouble and switching. That job let me see a lot of things most techs never, ever get a chance to interface with. His technical details are all spot on, and his knowledge of our processes is scary. (They are all different now because of Kevin)

Who was your favorite character and why?

Duh. Next question.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a masterful performer. Awesome inflection skills. I now do searches for his narrations.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I think this story is best told unabridged, so therefore-"14 hours of Awesome"

Any additional comments?

FREE KEVIN!!

One truly amazing story

If you could sum up Ghost in the Wires in three words, what would they be?

exciting unbelievable insane

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

One man who was able to stay ahead of the entire FBI

Which scene was your favorite?

When Kevin goes on the run

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

How he was able to stay one step ahead of everyone.

Good read, but sometimes boring!

Where does Ghost in the Wires rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the upper 33 percent.

Who was your favorite character and why?

While one would expect the author to be, since this is basically an autobiography, I actually liked the FBI agents and other dumbfounded authorities to be my favorite character(s). This story is likened to the Keystone Cops! But in fairness to the authorities, phone freaking and computer hacking was fairly new on the scene and difficult to understand.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I was able to envision him as actually being the lead character. He was very good at portraying levels of panic in his voice, for example.

If you could give Ghost in the Wires a new subtitle, what would it be?

The story of how I did it right down to all the technical details for which most of you won't understand.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the story except for the technical minutiae. All the gobbledygook of how this switch worked or how placing a "back door" here or there. I mean, come one! I understand that many readers who are geeks or hacker types would understand that stuff and would find it fascinating, but for the average reader like myself, it was boring. Perhaps the author/editor could have used foot noting for this! Instead he sometimes warned, "for the technical reader, bla, bla, bla..... " The other thing that struck me was how many times the author apologizes to his mother and grandmother for putting them through hell, over and over. But he never apologizes to the companies or others whose lives he disrupted.

Awsome Book

Any additional comments?

Fascinating account of social engineering at its best. This first hand account of hacking the phone system was just awesome.