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)

Extraordinary narration by Ray Porter

An amazing narration by Ray Porter. Truly captivating and managed to get the story as well as the feelings perfectly.

Fascinating story by a narcissist

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

About the middle--the story itself was interesting, and at times gripping, but I found myself being annoyed by the author's attitude about what he did and how others reacted.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The details of what the author did and how he did it--and how easy it was.

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

My favorite character was the author's ex-wife, who left him (as she should) when she realized he was an addict and was not going to change. She was the only one who seemed to have any sense about him. His other family members were enablers.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found myself being really frustrated by three things--the narcissism displayed by the author (typical of an addict), his frequent assurances that he "loved" his family and did not want to go to jail because he would not see them (but he frequently put them in harm's way), and just how stupid his victims were.

Any additional comments?

This book reminded me a lot of Artie Lange's last book "Crash and Burn" where he detailed his ongoing drug addiction. His narcissistic attitude reminded me Kevin Mitnick in this book. Also, in both authors' stories, family and friends were enablers and need Alanon.

The good old days

Old fashion hacking back when they were not trying to take over the world. Told from the perspective of the hacker. They were all a bit full of themselves.

Kept my interest

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

I listened to this story at 1.5x speed. It kept my interest. Sometimes these types of books let my mind wander and I end up rewinding. The hacker "Kevin" did not include personal glimpses into his psyche, but the story itself was entertaining and remarkable.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

2 sittings is good. Maybe during a road trip.

must be geek to enjoy

this may sound pretentious but its true. this book is basically a tutorial on hacking in the 80s. entire book is 90% stats. programs. and tech talk

Best Audiobook to Listen to More than Once !!

I have listened to this Audiobook at least once a year. Of the hundreds of books I have to listen to, I always seem to listen to this book the most. Kevin Mitnick is a Great narrator of his own words and I do not get tired of hearing him speak, after listening to all of hundreds of books I've purchased over the last 20 years that is a great compliment.
This book will keep you listening and wondering will this guy ever learn? It's like a train wreak , you know is going to happen but you can not turn away! There are a couple of parts in the book that Kevin gives out the code applications he used and this might bore some listeners, but it's not a lot, since I don't understand it, the first time it made me think I was going to listen to a technical manual, it is just in spurts and for some it might be the highlights of the book and gives him credibility. I believe Mr. Mitnick should thank goodness that his poor mother and grandmother did not just do what the FBI and other agencies wanted to do and just Shoot him. But thankfully they didn't because a great book has come from these exploits. Just purchase the book and enjoy !!

Best audiobook I've ever listened to.

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

The narrator's tone are so similar to what you envision Kevin to sound like. He does such a great job of expressing shock, that audacity of youth, etc.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The narrative moves really fast.

Which scene was your favorite?

Kevin running from the law.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It changed how I do business with relation to security. That wasn't why I got this, but it ended up being the by-product.

Any additional comments?

Great book!

love this book. will be listening to it over

loved this book. will be something I listen to over and over. :) free kevin

Ray Porter brings a 'tech heavy' book to life!!!

The Kevin Mitnick story is not just for 'computer nerds,' it's actually a pretty wild tale of one person's trailblazing adventures and some pretty serious human rights violations he suffered because at the time the technology he was experimenting with and abusing was not easily accessible (therefore the average person had no idea how it worked). It's the story of a pretty major failure of the legal system in a 1st world country, and how a kid who liked magic, pulling pranks, and wanting to know everything about how the world works ended up in prison for half a decade while awaiting trial, in part because of the media's violation of his rights as a minor. It's the story about how he bounced back, and the friends he made along the way, some of which were the very people breaking his head to try and catch him. This is a great companion piece to Frank Abagnale's 'Catch Me If You Can' (the book is much different than the movie, but both are masterpieces as far as I'm concerned).

I've listened to this at least 10 times, and while I'm well versed in some areas of technology, I'm actually a little embarrassed about how little I know about web security. I'm saying this because I this review would not be honest if I didn't mention Mitnick talks about a number of... I guess strings of code/commands. I'd like to think that most people could follow the story even if they don't understand all the 'jargon' but I'm a quick study, I'm sure I had to google a bunch of terms the 1st/2nd time I listened to this, and still loved it. It's a great book, it's the true story that inspired a lot fiction. It's also the story about some how some false claims about Mitnick inspired a lot of fiction. Mostly if you ever read a newspaper article about Mitnick, it's your chance to hear his side of the story, and in this case, it's a story worth knowing.

Should Be A Movie!

An intriguing true story that's hard to turn off! Mr. Porter the narrator does a splendid job. Great listen!