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)

Fantastic read.

I just finished my second read through and enjoyed it just as much as my first. In a few years, I will read it again.

Awesome Narrator

Would you listen to Ghost in the Wires again? Why?

Yes. There was so many stories that I cant remember half of them. Each one more outrageous than the last. I cant wait to read it again. It was almost like a bunch of sort stories in one book.

What other book might you compare Ghost in the Wires to and why?

Catch me if you can, or any kind of police searching for fugitive on the run story.

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

As this was an autobiography it is really the main character Kevin Mitnick that's the focus. As excited as I was to hear his adventures, I really wasn't cheering for him. He seems like a bit of a sociopath and in some strange way I feel sorry for him. He seems to lack the ability to form close bonds with other human beings of any real substance. He must be quite lonely.

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

I did. I sometimes put on audiobooks before bed and set them to go to sleep after a chapter. So often I found myself resetting the sleep feature because the stories just kept me wanting more.

Any additional comments?

One complaint I have with this book (my only complaint really) is that I dont really hear about any social engineering that went wrong. The book always points to people becoming suspicious but that Kevins wit and brilliance managed to con all of these people in to giving up private information and data. I don't doubt that this worked most of the time, but I would have liked the author to humble himself a bit and maybe shine the light on some situations that went bad (other than the ones that obviously got him arrested). There is an awful lot of bravado, however the story is still so good that I would recommend it. Even the parts of the story that become a little slow because of technical jargon were bearable. It is a credit to the amazing narrator who kept me interested throughout.

Fantastic book

I had very little interest in this book when I started listening. After 2 minutes I was hooked! An amazing story. Loved it

Good performance, USEFUL info

Excellent biography from Kevin Mitnick and very well performed by Roy Porter. I initially missed the middle six hours and never felt like I'd missed a beat. The pacing of the story kept it interesting, however it did get a bit repetitive.

As a confessed liar-extrordinaire, it was an exercise in critical thinking for the reader to decise how much of the real story is being left out or shaded to paint a positive light on our brilliant protagonist.

The tone was mostly exasperated and a bit frenetic. Recommended reading if you are interested in security design, social engineering, computer security, or hacker lore.

Excellent!

Great true story, well-paced and perfectly narrated by Ray Porter. Would highly recommend to anyone!

great!

total rollercoaster of a book. some real WTF moments when he accomplishes some especially difficult or obtuse hack. Really exciting, it reads like a thriller but still has a technical footing

great read am now a fan of this guy!

crazy thats a true story! hacker version of catch me if you can! very exciting listen And I love how the guy Kevin, Does it all because of the purely for the fun and challenge.

Hacker vs. FBI--- Hacker wins in overtime!

Very well narrated book, and an engaging story for those who enjoy non fiction thrillers. Hackers today are way more likely to be nefarious and government sponsored, but in the "old" days, they were just talented people who loved the challenge. Kevin Mitnick was one of those. Just as interesting as is his story of social engineering and computer hacking is his version of the FBI story. Another take on the quote, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you..." His legal story is also compelling in that the idea of presumption of innocence is clearly secondary to the political and self interested motives of the entities and people who caught him. It leads one to wonder if the system is often as nefarious as the people they are after separated from them only by the fact they wear the badge of authority. It's only as fair as they want to let it be. Listen to this story, and you'll see what I mean.

Essential hacking history for any hacker or geek

The bad: Mitnick's ego and lingering resentments sometimes get in the way and the story also gets dry and repetitive at points.

The good: Mitnick's story is legendary, and while I get the feeling he isn't always 100% honest, this is probably the closest we'll ever get to the true story without embellishments and ridiculous rumors. As Mitnick points out several times in his own story, his escapades are remarkable enough without the crazy rumors that grew around his legend over the years.

As a hacker and penetration tester myself, it is refreshing to read a story where second or third-hand accounts of hacking don't result in eye-rolling ridiculousness during the technical parts. I had known bits and pieces of Mitnick's story, but it was interesting to find out that most of his greatest successes were due, at least in part, to his natural skill as a social engineer. The result is a book that is not only entertaining and historic, but highly instructional also. As he states, the approaches he uses to get access to systems works nearly as well today as it did in the day of his exploits.

Fantastic

Reads like a spy novel but with all the technical details you crave. I immediately had nostalgia for my 90s hacker days. Seeing 'Art of Deception' in practice was awe inspiring. Highly recommend if you have any technical knowledge and enjoy a good game of cat and mouse. You'll never look at your computer hiccups the same way again!