The Discordant Opposition Journal Issue 9 - File 11
Kevin Mitnick.
by Sear^^^
On the 8th of October 99, Hacker Kevin Mitnick was sentenced by Judge Marina Pflaezar to pay $4,125 in restitution to various companies and to keep his hands off anything that could lead to his breaking into a company box/network and causing further trouble.This included Mobile phones, button dial landlines, computers and he was forbid to work in a business which required him to operate a computer or any of the above.
Judge Pfaelzer also sentinced Kevin to spend Three years and ten months in a prison cell.After one year he would be eligible for parole and that he would pay parole for three years. Though Mitnick was on the minimum wage, Pfaelzer told Mitnick that she expected the $4,125 and that he was required to pay it. He acknowledged this.
After a hacking spree that had consisted of hundreds of fellow hackers taking part he was arrested in North Caolina. After attacking such companies as Motorola,Nokia,sub Microsystems,Novell and possibly the North American Air Defense Command computer,though the supposed hack on the Air Defence command computer was never proven.
After being accused of such hacks, in March he admitted to hacking company servers and networks, stealing source and software and installing programs that caused the companies to pay millions of dollars. He then pleaded guilty to 5 felony counts.
He was then asked to pay $1.5 million because he had caused more than that to the companies. They felt that he would soon pay this fine off by writing books, articles, interviews, films. Donal Randolph requested that Mitnick be put in a re-habilition center for obsession with this "habit".Pfaelzer opposed this.
While on parole the restrictions that i mentioned above came into full force and he was banned from lecturing on computers fearing he may give out enough information for a successful cyberhack amongst the audience he may be lecturing. On Monday a court hearing was held. Supporters of mitnick and hackers alike turned up to hear the hearing.
Over the years in prison he faced,"Free Kevin" bumper stickers became a every-day sight around america as supporters fought for his release.Proving that he was an idol, icon or hero to the hacking culture. Mitnick then took his case to court on not being able to write about computers for magazines, books or anything else and that he should at least be able to write in hand or typewriter and feed the info via land line to the publisher.After spending for years in prison without money, he was rather pushed into getting some money together to pay his debts.
Steven Brill (publisher of the monthly magazine Brills Content) Offered Mitnick a job in writing columns monthly for his web site. Mitnick would review computers, software, magazines, books etc for the site and put forward his column. The officials then disagreed with this and tried to stop mitnick taking the job due to the fact that he was once a computer criminal or hacker and that he was addicted to hacking and that it may be dangerous giving him the job.They claimed it may give people the ability to commit cyber hacks and cause more damage to companies.
''In regards to the numerous requests you have received concerning writing and critiquing articles and speaking at conferences, we find it necessary to deny your participation and recommend that you pursue employment in a non-related field,'' wrote Mitnick's probation officer, Larry Hawley to USA today.
On Monday, Judge Pfaelzer would hear mitnick about his fight for the "right to write". Mitnicks Probation officers then cited the latter restrictions and told mitnick that there was no way that he was going to work for brill. Mitnicks Lawyers then commented that it was going further than the judge had ruled.
''Surely, Mr. Mitnick can be prohibited from teaching others how to hack, but that condition should not be so broadly read as to prohibit him from speaking or writing on any topic related to computers,'' New York attorney Floyd Abrams wrote in a friend of the court brief.
On thursday Brill said that Mitnick was 1 in 90 people suitable for writing for the column for the web page. He offered a $5,000 down payment plus $750 for each column submitted to the web page.A e-book was planned to include some of mitnicks articles with 50% of the profits.
It was then ruled that mitnick could write for the company as long as he typed it with a typewriter or in hand writing and then fed it via land line to the editors.
At a conference in Washington this year he spoke about wanting to make a public apology.He also commented that doing what he did(breaking into company systems and stealing source and other things including uploading programs which caused the companies millions of dollars.He sympatized with the software designers at the conference.
After the conference at a interview he said that he had been mischievous and being places he shouldn't of been in.He said that he never destroyed anything and that the charges on him were harsh but fair.
He then gained soaring notoriety.he was featured in magazines and also in the New York Times and two books.....one to be made into a movie.He was put down as being an inspiration for hackers and an hero.When asking other hackers if this were true they said it was, proving that he really is a hero to the hacking culture.
Though he had been made out to be an evil genius by the media, people soon found out that he was only a over curious intellect. for six years he had hid from officials and been wanted by the FBI for one of americas dangerous criminals.
Now, Mitnick is building a reputation as a computer pundit rather than a evil hacker. Since January(when he was released) he has written things for web sites and is also thinking of writing articles for magazines.
"This is how I intend to make a living now," he says. "I'm trying to share my knowledge and experience." he said to a USA today reporter.
He now has jobs and is being constantly being offered to write articles for online publication and even has a mobile though it is being closely monitored.
In an interview on the topic of his probation he comments that had rather spend 6 months in a jail cell than all the monitoring and restrictions has currently facing.
