Welcome Back, Kevin!
Kevin Mitnick, among the most notorious of hackers, is finally allowed back [1] to the ìrightful homeî from which he was banished as a part of both his conviction and the grounds for his release. How fitting, how timely and appropriate, that just moments after the movie ìCatch Me If You Can [2]î is released, Kevin Mitnick is also back in his saddle, roaming the wilds from which he was banned.
I think Mitnick may someday be seen as a rogue-like version practitioner of Civil Disobedience. This is neither the correct forum nor the time to argue the right and wrong of Mitnickís actions. The John Markoff/Tsutomu Shimomura book [3] detailing Shimomuraís successful tracking down of Mitnick (Takedown: The Pursuit and Capture of Kevin Mitnick, America's Most Wanted Computer Outlaw-By the Man Who Did It
by Tsutomu Shimomura, John Markoff ) does a more capable job of detailing Mitnickís exploits. It might be required reading for those interested in Mitnickís actions. Of course, Markoff made Mitnick his own personal cause and specialty, and seems to be partially living off the notoriety of his keen (if somewhat biased and overwrought) coverage of the whole affair. Mitnick denies the veracity many of Markoffís assertions of his hacks. I tend to believe Mitnick over Markoff. Mitnick has no real need to glorify or moderate his past actions. For Markoff, it sells his book and his credentials as The Mitnick Expert to seem to possess some special insight and knowledge of secrets of what Mitnick may or may not have done.
Mitnick served his time. He can and should be back on the net, back on the Ham Radio, back using a computer like any other free man or woman among us here in the land of the free.
If Frank W. Abagnale, the protagonist of Catch Me If you Can (who also had a book [4] of his own out about 20 years ago), can get a suspended sentence and then work for the FBI and later as a consultant and developer for the banking industry, surely there is a just and tantamount path for Kevin Mitnick.
Whatever the case may be, welcome back to the net, Kevin!