181 Quotes by Kevin Mitnick

I characterize myself as a retired hacker. I'm applying what I know to improve security at companies.

Sometimes I get a call from my bank, and the first thing they ask is, 'Mr. Mitnick, may I get your account number?' And I'll say, 'You called me! I'm not giving you my account number!'

My primary goal of hacking was the intellectual curiosity, the seduction of adventure.

I can't really stereotype the whole industry, but they'll be proactive about anti-virus software because they've already seen the effects.

Hackers are breaking the systems for profit. Before, it was about intellectual curiosity and pursuit of knowledge and thrill, and now hacking is big business.

Getting access to source code . . . was kind of like the secret ingredient. I wanted to know what the secret was.

If you go to a coffee shop or at the airport, and you're using open wireless, I would use a VPN service that you could subscribe for 10 bucks a month. Everything is encrypted in an encryption tunnel, so a hacker cannot tamper with your connection.

My message today is primary the same... I usually go around speaking on the threat of the human element, particularly on social engineering.

Somebody could send you an office document or a PDF file, and as soon as you open it, it's a booby trap and the hacker has complete control of your computer. Another major problem is password management. People use the same password on multiple sites, so when the hacker compromises one site, they have your password for everywhere else.