by Kevin D. Mitnick (Author) William L. Simon (Author)

It would be difficult to find an author with more credibility than Mitnick to write about
the art of hacking. In 1995, he was arrested for illegal computer snooping, convicted and held
without bail for two years before being released in 2002. He clearly inspires unusual fear in
the authorities and unusual dedication in the legions of computer security dabblers, legal and
otherwise. Renowned for his use of "social engineering," the art of tricking people into
revealing secure information such as passwords, Mitnick (The Art of Deception) introduces
readers to a fascinating array of pseudonymous hackers. One group of friends bilks Las Vegas
casinos out of more than a million dollars by mastering the patterns inherent in slot machines;
another fellow, less fortunate, gets mixed up with a presumed al-Qaeda.style terrorist; and
a prison convict leverages his computer skills to communicate with the outside world, unbeknownst
to his keepers. Mitnick's handling of these engrossing tales is exemplary, for which credit
presumably goes to his coauthor, writing pro Simon. Given the complexity (some would say obscurity)
of the material, the authors avoid the pitfall of drowning readers in minutiae. Uniformly readable,
the stories.some are quite exciting.will impart familiar lessons to security pros while introducing
lay readers to an enthralling field of inquiry.

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