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Ghost in the Wires cover art

Ghost in the Wires

By: Kevin Mitnick, William L. Simon
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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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)

What listeners say about Ghost in the Wires

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i feel scammed now

absolute garbage imo
after 4hr you'll realize that this guy is more of a scam artist than a hacker and rhr book is him telling you how awesome he is

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Unbelievably great story into Technology

Unbelievably great story into Technology and its flaws. Beautifully narrated and absolutely accurate from software based attacks to social engineering to realising the power of information gathering.

10/10 - highly recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Not terrible but not great

I love a true story and especially one where someone is on the run and going against the norm. However that this is not, it’s basically a brag fest of everything the protagonist had done followed by the realisation that maybe he’s not the smartest guy in the room.

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1 person found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars

Self-important, self-justifying narcissism. Pointless.

It was hard to listen to this welter of self-justifying, self-important narcissism, as he detailed the litany of breaches of systems for his own self-satisfaction. All the while bemoaning the injustices of the systems that prosecuted and incarcerated him.

The damage done to his mother, in particular, must have been profound.

I made it about three hours in before I did something rare for me and gave up, such was the level of animus I developed for this insignificant gob of human spittle.

What a complete waste of human space.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Quick paced, intriguing insight

Seemed to fly by. Really felt like I was there in the midst of all the hacking adventures. A great book, worth listening to. Narrator did a top job.

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  • Ben
  • 26-03-2024

Loved this book!

Both the story and the narrator are a perfect match here. This book definitely talks to me, I loved it.

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very interesting story even if you're not into computers

Way better than I was expecting, some of the technical stuff was hard to concentrate on for me, but still kept me interested

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relevant in 2024 new perspective

such a great story of the history of hacking a must read for anyone interested in internet security

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  • ADS
  • 26-08-2021

A very generous exposition into the mind, the tactics, and life & times of one of technology’s most influential actors.

Fabulous story read fabulously by Ray. Mitnick consistently strikes the right balance between technical nerdy insights, personal dramas, pratfall humour, narrative suspense, and a cracking sense of humour. A compelling listen.

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another look in to curious people in hot water

i loved listening to this as it us written as a great novel but is more like an autobiography. keept me listening well past my bed time . a must read for any pen tester or just a tec savy person.

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