Black-hat hacker turned security consultant Kevin Mitnick has died at the age of 59. He had pancreatic cancer.
Mitnick’s death was confirmed by Kathy Wattman, spokeswoman for KnowBe4, a security awareness training company that employed him most recently, the New York Times reported.
Mitnick rose to notoriety following a spree of cybercrimes and a two-year long manhunt by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in the mid-1990s. He later served time in prison after being found guilty of wire fraud and hacking.
He went on to change is hacker status from black hat to white hat, using his skills for good through security consulting. He also wrote several books on computer security, including The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers.
He is survived by his wife Kimberley, who is pregnant with their first child. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media
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