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He hacked into phone companies including sprint and Motorola and used what is known as social engineering, which is a term that describes a non-technical kind of intrusion that relies heavily on human interaction and often involves tricking other people to break normal security procedures.

He used this to get information on how the phone companies worked and the hardware they used to make connections. He learned how to make free phone calls and do pranks, like switch a friend’s home phone service to a pay phone setting.

He also cloned cell phones so he could use wireless hardware to connect to the Internet.

For the most part Kevin Mitnick did little damage to the systems he hacked but he would steal anything he thought would be useful to him, and if you tried to catch him he would screw up your phone service, or private e-mail, and even go as far as messing with your credit report.

He was even arrested 5 times for digital trespassing but his obsession with hacking would not stop.

He made his mistake when he targeted Tsutomu Shimomura, a well-respected computer security expert from San Diego, and hacked into his computer in 1994. Shimomura is a hacker himself, except when he uncovers security holes he reports them to security authorities instead of hackers.

Shimomura tracked Mitnick down using a number of tools and companies including the F.B.I., and he finally helped apprehend him in Raleigh, North Carolina where he had discovered that Kevin had set up his operation.

After his apprehension Mitnick pleaded guilty to 4 counts of wire fraud, two counts of computer fraud, and one count of illegally intercepting a wire communication ending his hacking career that made him the most wanted computer criminal in United States history.

Although there were many victims of Mitnick’s hacking he was only required to pay $4,125.00 back to companies he stole from and as an additional stipulation he was told that any money he makes from books or movie rights following his release from jail, for 7 years will be turned over to those companies also. He has been on supervised release, with restrictions on his travel, employment and use of technology since Friday, January 21, 2000. He has been allowed to use a cell phone and computer, but not one connected to the Internet.

He has a job interview scheduled for Monday January 13, 2003, “Now, of course, my attitudes and beliefs and values have changed,” said Mitnick. “I deserved to be punished for my hacking, but the punishment didn’t fit the crime. I kind of won the scapegoat sweepstakes.”

The biggest lesson he has learned, he said, is how much “collateral damage” sneaking into a computer network does. He said he now knows that it can cost thousands of dollars to cleanup and re-fortify a network once a hacker has been in.

Mitnick, who lives in Thousand Oaks, California, said people interested in doing a movie based on his life, including Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey, have approached him.

Even though he was banned from using the Internet, Mitnick has in recent years turned to one of the most popular Web sites, auction site ebay. He had his girlfriend post and then pull from the site two laptops he used to commit his crimes, after getting too many bogus bids. He is re-listing them this week, as well as the computer he used to write his book in the hopes of paying off the $10,000 he still owes his attorney.